Between Light and Water: Coastal Maine Paintings by Cooper Dragonette

Rooted in direct observation and shaped by memory, this exhibition of new oil paintings by Cooper Dragonette presents a quiet yet powerful meditation on the coast of Maine. Drawn from both plein air studies and refined studio works, Dragonette’s paintings capture harbors, working waterfronts, moonlit coves, and open stretches of water with remarkable sensitivity to light, atmosphere, and weather. Scenes of ledges, mooring fields, deckhands, and calm seas unfold with a restrained palette and luminous surfaces, reflecting the artist’s long relationship with Maine’s shoreline and its rhythms.

Influenced by painters such as John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, and Andrew Wyeth, Dragonette’s contemporary Maine landscape paintings balance technical precision with emotional depth. His background as an educator and outdoor expedition leader informs a practice grounded in lived experience—where wind, tide, and shifting light are as present as form and composition. These oil paintings go beyond representation, offering viewers an immersive sense of place that feels at once specific and timeless. Together, the works in this show highlight Dragonette’s ability to translate the coastal landscape of Maine into paintings that are atmospheric, contemplative, and deeply human—ideal for collectors seeking fine art inspired by the New England coast, plein air painting traditions, and modern American realism.