A Richmond Hill artist named Maureen Kerstein creates dreamy watercolor seascapes inspired by her lifelong love of water. She paints freely without reference photos or sketches, letting the watercolors flow freely on the paper to create abstract, fluid works. Kerstein finds the creative process calming and therapeutic. Her seascapes capture the transient colors and moods of the ocean through loose brushwork.

1. home
artful
AT WORK: Artist Maureen Kerstein adds
pigment to one of her water lilly paintings.
Her adoration of water began with
childhood camping trips on the Great
Lakes of her native Michigan. From
there, it traveled with her to Tampa,
Fla., where she and her husband were
avid boaters and almost daily explored
the waterways and islands of that area.
“I can breathe when I am on a boat,”
she said. “The movement of water and the
long-distance views of islands inspire me.”
Kerstein doesn’t use reference ma-
terials such as photographs and does
not sketch out a painting before she
begins. Instead, she relies on images
of nature and landscapes stored in her
memory, thus producing work that
is uncontrolled, loose and abstract.
“I am very experimental and don’t
like to follow formulas as I paint,”
she explained. “I like to let the paint-
ing take on a life of its own by turn-
ing the color loose to float freely over
the surface of the paper. I don’t control
it, but rather let each work paint itself.”
Instead of standard watercolor pa-
per, Kerstein prefers Japanese Yupo, a
A Richmond Hill artist allows synthetic, velvety smooth, nonabsorbent
her creativity and paint to flow freely. paper that allows paint to sit on top of
its surface. This feature makes the color
MAUREEN KERSTEIN’S lifelong love much more brilliant than with regular
of water is explicitly revealed in her watercolor papers and allows unwanted
dreamy watercolor seascapes. Her sections of the painting to be completely
portraits of the sea are both calming wiped away.
SEASCAPES and exhilarating, perfectly capturing Kerstein describes her painting
the many moods and transient colors process as a valuable therapy.
of the ocean. They are unstructured, “As I paint, I am totally immersed and
OF MAUREEN KERSTEIN
fluid and graceful and speak volumes usually can’t hear anything around me.
of the artist’s passion for her subject. Not even the FedEx delivery person can
“I’m in love with the water, the tear me away,” she laughed. “The creation
BY DONNA SMITH
beauty of the ocean, lakes and rivers,” of each painting is very calming and sooth-
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIN ADAMS
she explained. “And I love painting with ing, and I think that comes across to the
nature as my assistant. I try to capture viewer. They begin to feel the same way.”
the movement of ocean waves as they She begins by choosing colors, striv-
rise, break and crash onto the shore.” ing to use new combinations, as she en-
SAVANNAH MAGAZINE 39

2. as enchanting as her seascapes.
Kerstein has lived and worked as a
professional artist in Florida and Georgia
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
for the past 22 years. In the beginning, she
worked where she could, most typically at
the kitchen table.
“I made a big mess,” she recalled.
“There was paint splattered on the floor
and down the hall, and I actually spent
more time cleaning up than working.”
These days, Kerstein can be found
working away in a room of her own, a
studio with forgiving vinyl flooring, and
reveling in her freedom. “With three
kids, I didn’t have much time to paint.
But now, it’s my time in life to experi-
ment and have fun. I believe that if you’re
having fun, something good will come.”
Kerstein is a Signature member of the
prestigious Georgia Watercolor Society, a
Participating Member of the Florida Water-
color Society, a Juried Member of the At-
lanta Artists Club and an Exhibiting Mem-
Completed works —
ber of the Southern Watercolor Society.
“Mystic Sea” (above) and
Kerstein’s internationally collected
“Evening Storm” (right) —
work can be viewed and purchased at
exemplify Kerstein’s loose,
The Gallery in City Market, Leahy Art
experimental painting style.
Gallery in Richmond Hill, the Atlanta Art
Gallery in Atlanta and the Rachel Thomp-
son Gallery in St. Augustine, Fla. Her art
has received awards in various juried ex-
joys the surprise when the colors blend displayed in our home,” she said. “We go hibitions and has been featured in sev-
and create new mixtures. If she likes the on painting trips together twice a year, eral publications, including The Artist’s
results, she allows the painting to dry. usually spring and fall.” They attend artist Magazine and The Watercolour Gazette.
“I can always manipulate the condi- retreats, where classes and workshops are Unsurprisingly, her favorite leisure ac-
tions if needed until something of inter- an option, but the real purpose of the get- tivities include kayaking, snorkeling and
est emerges,” she said. She sprays, pours, aways is to spend time painting together. boating in the waterways near her Rich-
fans and even employs the use of a hair She is one of the founders of The mond Hill home.
dryer or fan to achieve desired results. Plein Air Painters of Savannah, a small
Even the weather has an effect on the group of artists who get together regu- Visit her Web site at:
final outcome. Summer humidity can hin- larly for coffee, breakfast and “getting it www.seascapesartgallery.com
der drying time, and drier weather can all out” before disbanding to paint. “The Her phone number is 695-4804.
cause a painting to produce variable effects. main idea is to have somebody to paint
Kerstein likes to work on up to three with,” Kerstein said. “It’s an opportunity
to five paintings at a time, as each paint- to get away from the solitary studio and
ing needs individual time to dry. be with other artists. But, once we start
“I have learned that stopping at the working, there’s no talking!” Ideal loca-
right time is just as important as knowing tions for painting are marshes, docks,
when to keep painting,” she explained. “I ponds — anywhere that nature can be ob-
sometimes put a painting away for a few served and transformed into a fresh new
weeks and return to it with fresh eyes to piece. Kerstein often uses acrylic paints
determine what the painting needs, where when she is working on-site. After paint-
it is going, or if it is actually completed.” ing hundreds of seascapes, her attention
But the bottom line is to let the paint- has turned to a new subject — water lilies.
ing be the guide. “Painting in this way is “I wanted to relive the exhilaration
an adventure,” she said. “I enjoy working I felt when I was creating my first sea-
in an extremely loose manner, painting scape paintings,” she said. “Concentrating
freely and letting the images emerge on on one particular subject allows me the
their own.” freedom to work with new variations of
Kerstein cites her mother, Elizabeth methods and materials.” Presently, she is
Beceden, a watercolor portrait artist, as researching and studying various water
her greatest influence. “As long as I can re- lily types and painting both on location
member, her drawings and paintings were and in her studio. The resulting works are
40 SUMMER HOMES 2008