I paint places of stillness.

My work is inspired by the quiet rhythms of the Maine coast—tidal rivers, open marshes, and the shifting relationship between sky and water. Rather than documenting a specific location, I’m drawn to atmosphere: the pause between movements, the softness of changing light, the calm that settles in familiar landscapes.

Working in acrylics, I use restrained color, softened edges, and simplified forms to create space for rest. Each painting is an invitation to slow down—to notice subtle changes in tone, horizon, and reflection. I’m less interested in capturing detail than in preserving a feeling: one of balance, breath, and quiet presence.

These paintings are meant to live with you. They are created to bring calm into a room, to ground a space, and to offer a sense of stillness that endures beyond the moment it was painted.

— Paulina Carmel