Hangout - New Jersey Artists

Zeero painting graphic

Coloring Book Pages (pdf):

The Race to Paint

Sculptor

Watercolor

April 2003

Although he never called New Jersey home, world-renowned artist Winslow Homer saw the Jersey shore as an inspiration for his work. Homer, a master of watercolor, added the human element to landscape painting, showing humans interacting with nature.

Homer began painting in watercolor in the 1870s. Before that, he had worked as an illustrator, gaining fame for his paintings of Civil War soldiers. Homer shifted his focus to man in nature and saw the seashore as an excellent subject. From 1883 to 1892, Homer made frequent stops in Atlantic City and other shore destinations. Homer’s works are considered among the greatest watercolors of all time.

Winslow Homer
(1836-1910)
On the Shore
Watercolor
13" x 9.5"

While Homer is often considered the first great watercolorist, John Marin was the leader of his generation. Born in Rutherford and raised by his grandparents in Weehawken, Marin sketched from the time he was a child. He first began using watercolor as a teenager. Marin’s work resembled Impressionist paintings because it was not clearly delineated, but he was never labeled an Impressionist. The coast of Maine served as the primary subject for his work, but he did some early work inspired by New York City.

John Marin
(1870-1953)
West Point, Maine
Watercolor

In 1950, Marin was honored with an exhibition at the State Museum in Trenton. He was called a “recognized master in his own time” in a scroll signed by the governor. Here are some more of Marin’s paintings.

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