At 5:30 on May 25, Archipelago Fine Arts at the Island Institute will host a talk by maritime artist Loretta Krupinski of South Thomaston. Krupinski’s work is part of a show titled “Reflecting the Past,” on view through June 23. She has recently embarked on a new series of paintings based on historical photographs of Maine’s working waterfront.
Old black-and-white images provide subject matter, to which she brings her own knowledge of maritime history and sense of color. “I’ve always been interested in detail,” she said. “Historical painting lends itself to realism.”
The show is the first public exhibition of Krupinski’s “Reflecting the Past” series. Down East Books plans to publish a collection of the works in 2009.
After graduating with a BFA from Syracuse University, Krupinski worked as an editorial illustrator for Newsday. Growing up on the Long Island shore, she had always painted maritime scenes. Paintings of racing yachts were an early specialization.
But after moving to Maine permanently seven years ago, she felt restless. “Landscapes started to be boring for me,” she said. A 2004 exhibition of historical marine photographs at the Island Institute sparked a new interest. She began working from antique photographs to create historical paintings of the coast. Careful research allowed her to depict boats and landscapes accurately. Her own experience on the water informed her color choices. She found the work immensely satisfying. “I love being able to bring a different part of Maine to the public,” she said.
Four years on, that inspiration has evolved into a life’s work. Krupinski likes the attention, not for herself, but for her subject. “We really need to cherish what we have,” she said of the Maine coast. May 25 is Rockland Gallery Night, and the event at the Island Institute, 386 Main St., Rockland, is free and open to the public.
— Alden Robinson