An exhibit of new paintings at  Harmon's Market from July 1-August 2,2025. The gallery is open Wed-Sat 11-6 and is located at 423 Black Point Rd in Scarborough. 

 These new paintings reference points along the Maine Coast where I have worked for over 30 years: Scarborough, Great Cranberry Island, Cape Elizabeth, Great Spruce Head Island, Acadia, Butter Island and, most recently, Monhegan Island on a MARC residency from Sept-October of 2023.  In January of 2024, back-to-back storms struck them all; once the ocean receded, the devastating impact to docks, roadways, trees and protective dunes was clear. Coastal New England was reeling. 

And yet, notable things began to happen. Sand returned in a slow but consistent manner mirroring tide and moon cycles.  Native and naturalized plants emerged in the disturbed shoreline, sloped banks, forest floors and marshes alongside lobster buoys orphaned by storm tides.

As dune accretion commenced and deep-rooted plants established themselves at unfamiliar locations, there was a human response that stands as a dramatic point of resilience in this story.  Across Maine, rugged New Englanders and those "from away" worked in concert to fortify and elevate infrastructure above new high-tide thresholds and to replant species to bolster natural barriers. The cooperative immediate and longer-term responses have enabled communication and organization, mobilized resources and ultimately reinforced kinship and community. The shift from recovery to forward-thinking mode has been powerful throughout the state. Like a joined cluster of quaking aspen trees or spruce-fir forests exhibiting crown shyness, maybe community emerges as the key to resilience in modern life.

I have spent my life methodically thinking about and observing a natural world that is not static but is enduring. These paintings reflect upon this cycle of destruction and renewal; they invite continued broader discussions about the plants that thrive in and fortify these places and the interconnections essential to recovery and strength. 

Ann Conrad Stewart