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West Fraser West Fraser’s art is naturalistic, created by a feeling for the beauty and moods of nature combined with a subject for expression. His realistic watercolors depict the towns, ports, homes, marshes, and beaches of the land; each with a distinctive understanding of the light, color, details, atmosphere, time and season of the landscape This is apparent in his second series of limited edition prints entitled the Sporting Art series. Whether his subject is an active urban harbor or a quiet countryside; Fraser’s goal is to evoke what he calls “a sense of place,” an objective and expressive visualization of the look, character and feel of a particular subject. His work is the realization of this goal, brought alive for the viewer through the artist’s thoughtful and inspired observation and rendering. West Fraser's realistic watercolors are his personal means of documenting the ever-changing coast. Characteristic in his work is a romance with the salt water environments. Thus far Fraser's subjects range from the Southeastern Sea Islands of his childhood and Maine's coastal villages to the varied shores of the West Coast. Each painting captures light, creates mood, and reflects a moment in history. The artist has the ability to make the viewer feel as though he has just sailed into a new port and is ready to set anchorage. Recently West's watercolors were in simultaneous shows, "Siren Call of Sea and Sail" at Grand Central Art Gallery in New York City and "Marine Paintings" at Montgomery Gallery in San Francisco. Numerous successful one-man shows and national exhibits are also to his credit, including Mystic Maritime Gallery's "Annual International Exhibition" in which he won and award of excellence. Juried New York City group shows are Knickerbocker Artists, Salamagundi Club, and the Allied Artists of America, the last of which awarded the artist the John Young-Hunter Memorial. With the Mary L. Litt Medal, West's work was recognized by The American Watercolor Society. He is a member of the American Society of Marine artists, last showing in their 8th National Exhibition at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News. Both Spring 1985 Nautical Quarterly and Boating Magazine have featured Fraser's paintings. Born in the port city of Savannah, Georgia, West moved his family to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1981 to pursue a career as an illustrator in New York City, but soon found the fine arts more to his liking. After three years of northern coastal exploration he has returned south to live and paint in Charleston, South Carolina. West spends about three months of the year traveling the East, Gulf, and West coasts looking for fresh material.

Thomas Hoyne Thomas Hoyne served his naval career in the Pacific Theater as a gunnery officer on the L.S.T. 48. This period was no doubt crucial to the development of Hovne’s excellent knowledge of and feel for the water. For not only does he possess a thorough understanding of the anatomy of oceans —of currents, waves, wind and the weight of water he also has an instinctive sense of the poetry of the sea. His point of view is quite unlike that of any other marine painter currently working. He has developed a distinctive, recognizable identity all his own. Hoyne’s interest in the romance of the great sailing and fishing vessels began during his boyhood when he spent summers at his grandmother’s cottage in Ogunquit, on the coast of Maine. "I became familiar with the Gloucester-Cape Ann area," Hoyne recalled, "and while there in 1938, saw the movie ‘Captains Courageous’ in Gloucester. The subject of the story was the Gloucester fishing fleet, and I was completely taken by it. In fact, it started a life-long interest in the New England fishing industry, its ships and traditions. I started drawing fishing schooners and building models of them and have been doing so from that day to the present.” This intense interest in the history and romance of these hardworking fishing ships—and the dedication to portraying them accurately—has, over the years, taken Hovne up and down the East Coast visiting historical societies, museums and shipyards. He has become friends with those remaining few who are knowledgeable about the industry: shipbuilders, historians, captains, and crewmembers. He has gone aboard most of the surviving ships. His travels and research photographs and taped yarns—insure the paintings with depth and authenticity. An early inspiration to Hoyne was the famous American marine painter, Gordon Grant, whom he met through his grandmother. “I visited him at his summer studio in Gloucester,” Hoyne said. “Needless to say, I was greatly impressed by his work and knowledge of ships. Many years later, during my duty in the Navy, my ship was tied up at Pier 42 in New York for repairs and I had a chance to visit his New York studio, visit with him and see his ship models and newer paintings." Once out of the Navy, Hoyne returned home and began working as an illustrator in Chicago. As he became more successful, he was able to also become selective in choosing jobs, specializing in landscapes, antique airplanes and cars and vintage ships. Now, of course, his time is devoted almost exclusively to marine subjects.

Loretta Krupinski Loretta Krupinski (1940- ) Loretta Krupinski trained at the School of Art at Syracuse University. She worked in illustration and graphic design and was an editorial illustrator for New York Newsday. She is both a marine artist and an author/illustrator of fifteen children’s books. Material on display is from Ms. Krupinski’s Bluewater Journal: The Voyage of the Sea Tiger (1995). This includes preliminary sketches of the cover, a letter from her editor, a dummy cover, and the final cover for the book. All of these items reflect the author’s and the publisher’s approach to selecting a title to a new book. Loretta Krupinski is an award-winning maritime painter and an avid sailor. She is on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Marine Artists. Loretta Krupinski has illustrated many popular books for children including Dear Rebecca, Winter is Here by Jean Craighead George and her own Bluewater Journal: The Voyage of the Sea Tiger. Ms. Krupinski lives in Connecticut.

Raymond Massey Raymond Massey is a self taught artist whose paintings can bring the past to life. His work fairly bristles with fine detail, the vision of an artist combined with the fervor of a born historian. The colors that flow from his brush take form in a tradition of visual documentation, information mated to beauty in a marriage that, for the artist, is spurred by the romance of the sea. Only after months of careful research, including volumes of notes and sketches and visits to the Far East, did Mr. Massey begin his series of paintings documenting Americis early trade with China. His efforts are bringing him critical acclaim and a growing reputation as a major American maritime artist.

Robert Sticker Robert Sticker's interest in the sea and ships began as a boy on Staten Island where he grew up, and as a World War II navy pilot this fascination continued to grow. He followed his wartime duty with five years of study with Frank J. Reilly at the Art Students League, and his work began to get serious recognition. Deciding to direct his talent toward marine art came naturally for him. Painting a variety of themes from the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, and whaling scenes, he followed with his extraordinary series of inland waterway steamboats. After carefully researching each of his planned paintings to insure historical accuracy, he begins a series of pencil sketches. Constantly changing his composition to make sure the painting will work both artistically and historically, Sticker begins to paint what he feels will lead to the final work of art. Whether it be the dock of New Orleans, the harbor in Pittsburgh, or Custer's 7th Cavalry breaking camp, one is always impressed with his accurate representation of these moments in history. Taking from five to ten weeks to complete a painting, Sticker seems to have found the delicate balance between composition and abstraction. Robert Sticker's paintings can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the country. He also was instrumental in founding the American Society of Marine Artists.