Mary Jo Rines, noted New England Watercolor painter (1931-2011), summered in West Southport and wintered in Weston, Massachusetts.

As an award-winning artist, Mary Jo supported art organizations throughout her career. She was the first female president (1988-90) of the 100-year-old New England Watercolor Society and remained a director for decades. Mary Jo was also a long-term member and chairman of the art committee of the Copley Society of Art in Boston and served as president of the fledgling Weston Arts and Crafts Association in Weston in the early 1960s.

She was a major force in the conception and creation of the gallery at First Parish Church in Weston and a gallery at the University of New Hampshire. She and her family supported the newest wing of the Newagen Library. 

Mary Jo studied with highly-trained and innovative artists, attended workshops, worked in various paint media creating traditional, abstract and contemporary works of art. Later she conducted her own workshops teaching Techniques in Watercolor in the Boston area and ran the Deep Cove Workshops from her studio in Southport Island, Maine, focusing on ‘Edge of the Sea’ themes of shells, rocks, seaweed and sand moving with the tides.

She won more than 46 painting awards, including the Gold Medal of Honor from the New England Watercolor Society, and was a Signature Member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. Mary Jo’s work has been widely exhibited in New England and national shows.

The exhibit is put together by her loving family, and invokes tranquil island life and stands as a testament to her unique view of the world about her. A reception will be held at the library on Thursday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. with the family. Come share memories, stories and refreshments.