Michele O'Keefe

Many years ago, on Maine’s Vinalhaven Island, Michele O’Keefe, found home and infinite inspiration for her hand-colored etchings. In her words, “Being here brings the essentials of life and art into sharp focus—the working waterfront, the resilience of island families…and the beauty of the environment. To treasure, document and preserve glimpses of what makes this island unique motivates the choice of my subject matter and my art.”

Her captivating etchings often feature the Gloucester Gull Dory that her parents first brought to the island in 1968. The dory has taken her family on many journeys on Penobscot Bay for more than fifty years.

Etching on copper plate, followed by hand-coloring each, is a laborious but ‘exhilarating’ process “The press unlocks endless possibilities for
future work and allows a richness of color and variation of line that is seductive.”