Watercoloring the Coast

Michael Vermette and the Enduring Influence of James Fitzgerald

For generations, the rugged coast of Maine has drawn artists in search of something that cannot be manufactured in a studio—the ever-changing interplay of light, water, weather, and landscape that has inspired some of America's most celebrated painters. Among them, few have left a more enduring mark than James Fitzgerald, the Monhegan Island watercolorist whose thoughtful approach to painting continues to influence artists today.

This September, Spruce Point Inn welcomes acclaimed painter and educator Michael Vermette as its Artist-in-Residence. While Vermette is widely recognized for his expressive watercolor and oil paintings, he is also regarded as one of the foremost scholars of James Fitzgerald's life and work. Throughout his career, Vermette has studied Fitzgerald's artistic philosophy, techniques, and legacy, carrying those lessons into his own practice while helping others better understand one of Maine's most influential painters.

Fitzgerald's approach to landscape painting extended well beyond faithful representation. Influenced by Eastern philosophy and aesthetics, he believed that painting began long before brush ever met paper. Rather than rushing to capture a scene, Fitzgerald was known to spend hours quietly observing the landscape, absorbing its forms, rhythms, and atmosphere before returning to his studio to begin his work. Remarkably, he often relied on memory and sketched notes much as direct observation, revisiting subjects months—or even years—later and recreating them with extraordinary clarity.

His process reflected what Portland Museum of Art Curator of American Art Karen Sherry has described as a profound "reverence for place." That reverence defined not only Fitzgerald's celebrated paintings of Monhegan Island, but also his work depicting similarly rugged coastal communities like Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia and Mount Katahdin. The result was a body of work defined by dramatic, striking interpretations of the Maine coast, rendered with bold conviction and unmistakable intensity.

It is this philosophy that has long captivated Michael Vermette.

Rather than simply emulating Fitzgerald's style, Vermette has dedicated himself to understanding the principles behind it. His own paintings embrace careful observation while interpreting the landscape through expressive color, confident brushwork, and an unmistakable sense of movement. Like Fitzgerald before him, Vermette seeks to capture not only the appearance of a place, but the experience of being present within it.

That perspective feels especially fitting at Spruce Point Inn.

Situated along the rocky shores of Linekin Bay, the resort occupies the same stretch of coastline that has inspired generations of painters. While Fitzgerald became synonymous with nearby Monhegan Island, the Boothbay peninsula shares many of the same qualities that drew him repeatedly to Maine's coast—granite ledges shaped by the sea, working harbors, dense spruce forests, and constantly changing maritime light. It is a landscape that rewards patience and close observation, qualities central to both Fitzgerald's philosophy and Vermette's artistic practice.

Guests visiting during Vermette's residency will have the opportunity to experience that tradition firsthand. Over the weekend of September 19, 2026 guests and Boothbay residents alike will have the opportunity to engage first hand with Michael and his methods! Beginning with a show opening at Gleasons on Friday, September 18, Michael will join us at Spruce Point Inn for watercolor classes around the resort and at Burnt Island, offer a history lecture on the history of art on the Maine before embarking with his students for Monhegan island for The Race, an immersive five-day workshop, The Race, offering participants the opportunity to explore landscape painting through many of the same principles that guided Fitzgerald's remarkable career.

To learn more about the The Race and how it will bring the history of art on the Maine coast to life this September, revisit our article from July 2026.