Sounds Of Sails Acrylic/Oil 30"x48" $5,1000
“Maine is an opportune place, particularly if you are worried about life in America today. If you think people who are running things have lost touch with the truth that is taught by the land.” — Richard Saltonstall, Jr.
This sentiment echoes deeply in the work of painter Claire Bigbee, whose show Local Color at Maine Art Hill explores Maine’s fragile beauty and enduring lessons.
The Making of Quiet Return
The Quiet Return Oil 20"X20" $2,200
“The Maine landscape is both timeless and fragile. There is a growing need for cooperation between people and nature, especially now as the environment around us continues to shift,” Bigbee shares. Her work reflects this delicate balance, acknowledging both the grandeur of Maine’s coast and its quiet vulnerability.
“In the last few years, I’ve noticed Maine changing in subtle but profound ways. Our shorelines are shifting, marshes receding, habitats under pressure. As a painter of place, I feel a responsibility to preserve, through paint, the Maine we remember even as it quietly vanishes.”
This work finds its roots in Rachel Carson’s Wells Reserve, where Bigbee spends time observing the endless interplay of light and water. “Much of this body of work is inspired by Rachel Carson’s Wells Reserve, where the marshlands reveal an endless dialogue between water, light, and grass. Standing before these wetlands, I am reminded of the urgency of Carson’s legacy and how the natural world teaches us about resilience and interdependence.”
The Still Point_24"x48"X1.5"_Acrylic/Oil_$4,000
Inspiration for The Still Point
In sailing, there is a fleeting moment when wind, water, and vessel align perfectly, a pause between motion and stillness. Inspired by The Silverling, a sailboat moored in Perkins Cove, this painting captures that delicate balance. Like the center of a yoga pose, The Still Point reflects a place of calm amidst movement, where the world seems to hold its breath and light lingers on the horizon.
Bigbee’s practice is also grounded in community. “I paint local views close to home with a group of professional artists on Thursdays, including the talented Margaret Gerding, whose shared passion for the Maine landscape continually deepens my own connection to this place.”
This season, her search for inspiration led her farther afield. “I traveled to Midcoast Maine, following the path of inspiration. From Cadillac Mountain to Rockport, Rockland, and St. George, I sought out vistas that hold both grandeur and intimacy.”
One of the highlights of her journey was Tenants Harbor. “In Tenants Harbor, I found myself at Southern Island Light—an iconic view long painted and lived with by Jamie Wyeth, who once described Maine as offering a ‘quality of life that is singular and unique.’ Southern Island Light is a rare perspective, discovered only by water, that reminded me that in painting, as in life, discovery comes when you step beyond the familiar path.”
With Local Color, Bigbee brings together these moments of quiet discovery and reflection. “This exhibition brings together those moments: marshes and horizons, harbors and headlands. Each painting is an attempt to honor Maine’s shifting beauty and to preserve the truth taught by its land and light.”
Inspiration forWhere Trees Meet Tide
Where Trees Meet Tide Acrylic/Oil 30"x48" $5,1000
The show Local Color is on view from September 20 through October 15 at Maine Art Hill, located at 5 Chase Hill Rd in Kennebunk, Maine. The gallery is open daily at 10 AM. For more information, visit maine-art.com, email info@maine-art.com, or call 207-967-2803.