WILL’S STRAIT SUITE
The indiscriminate act of taking photographs while walking has captured a certain aspect of looking and seeing, of structure and light, and in so contextualized my painting practice.
Will’s Strait Suite is composed of photographs taken while walking between Orr’s Island and Bailey Island in the town of Harpswell, Maine. The black and white images are printed on Moab paper, mounted on wood panels and overpainted in oil.
All Images© 2026 Kate Beck/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Will's Strait I - Oil Paint, Digital Chromogenic Images on Moab Paper, flush mounted on wood frame. 24 inches x 18 inches x 3 inches.
Will's Strait, II - Oil Paint, Digital Chromogenic Images on Moab Paper, flush mounted on wood frame. 18 inches x 24 inches x 3 inches.
Will's Strait, III - Oil Paint, Digital Chromogenic Images on Moab Paper, flush mounted on wood frame. 24 inches x 18 inches x 3 inches.
Will's Strait IV - Oil Paint, Digital Chromogenic Images on Moab Paper, flush mounted on wood frame. 24 inches x 18 inches x 3 inches.
From Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine, the Harpswell Islands comprise over two hundred miles of rugged, shoal-laden coastline and nearly ninety-eight off-shore islands. Will’s Strait (also referred to as Will’s Gut) is an environmental anomaly running east to west along the wild shoreline, passaging through a Cribstone Bridge, a nationally recognized, historic structure built in 1928 from a foundation of dry mounted granite slabs specifically designed to withstand heavy wind and waves, which connects the two islands.
Will’s Strait is a channel-like body of coastal waters highly subject to surging tidal currents in heavy wind and weather. This natural distinction, as well as my personal thoughts and histories here, has influenced me to create this on-going project.