Three Graces on Kennebunk...

Three Graces
on Kennebunk Beach
circa 1900

This is part of the Brick Store Museum's' collection.

It was painted May 14, 2020, 21 x 17" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Arches cold press rough 100% cotton watercolor paper framed, $800

Seen at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, Maine during the Perspectives | 2020 Bicentennial Exhibition Summer/Fall 2020, celebrating Kennebunk and Maine's dual bicentennials in 2020 with artworks by over 50 artists and paired stories and artifacts from Kennebunk's history. The museum's web site is HERE.

The art is based on this Brick Store Museum archives black and white photo labeled Kennebunk Beach circa 1900. I researched fashion styles of 1900 for color accuracy. I was delighted to discover that vibrant bright colors were in vogue, along with the surely uncomfortable style of the day cinched waists.

The title is a nod to Charites, known in Greek mythology as The Three Graces, goddesses of such things as charm, beauty, and creativity, and painted by artists for centuries.

This watercolor was also on exhibit in Brick Store's April 2026 "Technicolor in Bloom".

Photo by Gabriella Calabia