Art of Penobscot Bay: A Sampling

When my brother David and I set out to select paintings for our fourth collaboration, Art of Penobscot Bay, we wanted to feature as many different locales as possible. There were many, from the wonderful assortment of shoreline towns to a diverse archipelago that includes Criehaven, Matinicus, North Haven, Vinalhaven, Islesboro, Great Spruce Head, and Isle au Haut.

We also wanted to honor the history and culture of this vast embayment. One image in particular, “Atlantic Salmon” by James Francis, artist and
director of cultural and historic preservation for the Penobscot Nation, helps connect the bay to its mighty feeder river and the people who first inhabited the region.

We sought to represent elements of the marine world, from shipbuilding of yore to the modern-day working waterfront, from the North Haven ferry to a sailing regatta on Eggemoggin Reach. To help orient readers, we included a few maps—and a stunning monoprint/watercolor by Molly Brown showing the bay as envisioned from outer space.

While landscape predominates, a few people appear. You’ll find a solitaire player on Eagle Island, a painter rollicking with a seal, and Belfast folk enjoying an evening by the harbor. It’s an all-season, all-weather survey that features icy ledges on Vinalhaven, fall colors overlooking Deer Isle, a mid-summer island flyover, and a profound Bucks Harbor fog.

In his introduction, author Peter Nichols notes how much the bay has remained consistent over centuries. He writes: “Only the windmills rising above Vinalhaven Island in Anneli Skaar’s ‘Three Turbines’ (2018) would not be recognized by earlier voyagers and visitors who found sustenance in the waters of Penobscot Bay.”

David and I ended up with 130 paintings by 120 artists, plus one photo-
graph (by Eliot Porter), four vintage postcards, and a canoe paddle. What follows is a sampling of the visual treasures that arrived in our inboxes over a year-plus of hunting and gathering. To all the artists, galleries, collectors, and museums that provided images, many thanks.