Elwyn George Gowen | Tree Scene Maine

This oil on board by Elwyn George Gowen, titled “Tree Scene, Maine,” portrays a quiet coastal landscape where wind-bent trees rise above calm water and gentle shoreline. Gowen’s soft greens, warm earth tones, and delicate atmospheric light capture the serenity of the Maine coast, emphasizing both the structure of the trees and the subtle mood of the surrounding environment. The composition’s simplicity and natural balance evoke a peaceful moment rooted deeply in the region’s coastal identity.

Elwyn George Gowen (1895–1954) was a Maine-born painter and designer trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he earned multiple honors including the Ripley Scholarship, the Thayer Prize, and two Cummings Traveling Scholarships. He later became part of the Ogunquit art colony, studying and teaching under Charles Woodbury, and developed a refined style centered on Maine’s shoreline and landscapes. His work has been exhibited at the Tufts University Art Gallery—most notably in Elements of Expression: The Art and Design of Elwyn George Gowen—and he is the subject of a forthcoming retrospective at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, which is actively acquiring and documenting his work. Gowen’s paintings are held primarily in private New England coastal-art collections and appear in regional galleries and auction houses, reflecting enduring admiration for his sensitive interpretations of Maine’s natural scenery.