Monhegan Island, Maine
Palate & Palette goes in search of art, cooked crustaceans, and a shipwreck
We went to Monhegan, Maine, to slow down, take in landscapes that have inspired generations of artists, and see art. It was this exhibit, and specifically Eric Hudson paintings that were the initial draw.
Much of the island is undeveloped, thanks to a land trust established in 1954 by Ted Edison, the son of Thomas Edison. The creation of the trust stopped plans to build housing on the eastern side of the 4.5 square mile sanctuary in the Gulf of Maine. Here’s what we saw.
Monhegan Museum and Lighthouse
Along with admission to the museum, you get the optional lighthouse tour. We climbed to the top of the tower with a tour guide who told us she was afraid of heights. We learned that when the Fresnel lens was replaced during one of several modernization efforts, the lens disappeared! Locals think it’s either in the ocean where it is a home to the fishes or that it was pushed off the lighthouse to break into pieces, but there is no evidence of either outcome.
The museum featured an exhibit of painter James Fitzgerald, who made Monhegan his home from 1943 until his death in 1971.
Fitzgerald had a storied life. He studied art at the Massachusetts Normal Art School (now the Massachusetts College of Art and Design) and School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, worked as a seaman on a merchant ship, and settled for a time in the 1930’s in Monterey, California. That’s where he befriended John Steinbeck, Martha Graham, John Cage, Krishnamurti, and poet Robinson Jeffers. He visited Monhegan in 1924 and, after spending a couple summers there, became a resident in 1943 to enjoy more solitude and focus on his art.
Fitzgerald Studio
James Fitzgerald’s studio is a museum you can visit if you are fortunate to be on the island when it is open on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday between 12-2. In the photo below, you can see how the light comes through the window wall to illuminate his paintings, palette, easel, brushes, and sketches. Rumor was that people never saw Fitzgerald actually painting; that he would go outside for hours to observe fisherman, the ocean, gulls in flight, and the moon, and then go back to his studio to paint.
Rockwell Kent built the studio to serve as an art school as well. Later, it became Alice Kent Stoddard’s studio, and then Fitzgerald’s studio.
Alison Hill
Living on Monhegan, Alison Hill has access to excellent subject matter. In addition to seascapes, sea gulls, and still lifes, she also paints portraits and painted a modern version of Monhegan’s 400th birthday (below). Notice the intentional tonal differences, Alison’s having bluish cast. I think both paintings are wonderful and evocative of life on the island, then and now.
Edison Studio
Edison Studio features sculptures by Daphne Pulsifer, paintings by Sylvia Alberts, ceramics by Kila Bates, and jewelry by Cat Bates. The studio is named for Ann and Ted Edison who owned the property for a time.
The shipwreck
The island has 17 miles of trails, most narrow, and some requiring climbing on the edge of cliffs overlooking the ocean while avoiding poison ivy. A rusting shipwreck of a tugboat is gradually disintegrating.
Local eats
We enjoyed the IPA, sour raspberry beer, and blueberry lemon hard seltzer at the Monhegan Brewing Company. Then it was onto The Fish House for lobster, lobster BLT, and the best fried fish sandwich I’ve ever had.
Other dining highlights were mussels, salad, and salmon at The Island Inn and avocado and hummus-topped toasted homemade bread at The Trailing Yew, which had a hippie vibe.
Sunset really looked like this. No photo editing.
If you are going to Monhegan
We took the Balmy Days ll from Boothbay Harbor, which was a 90-minute slow and steady boat ride on a day with glassy smooth seas, sparing us any seasickness. We stayed at the Island Inn, which was close to the dock, elegant, and comfortable. No aspects of the trip were comped.
What is your favorite island to visit? Share in the comments!