This watercolor depicts Mystic, Connecticut with artist Kinley Shogren’s (1924 – 1991) signature use of realism. It was executed in 1984 and was unfortunately incorrectly fitted in its mat. Over time this caused the artwork to bow. Restoration will carefully flatten the work, reestablishing the composition to the artist’s original intent and making it more suitable to place in its new custom Florentine frame with silver to marry the watercolor’s softer tones. Finally, UV-filtering glass will protect the work for years to come.

Kinley Shogren was a Cleveland artist of the mid-20th Century who was known for watercolor scenes around rural Ohio, and was an authority on Great Lakes shipping and ships. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1949 his output is estimated to total over 3,500 paintings, including hundreds of boat commissions as well as marine birds, canal locks, and landscapes. His realistic illustrative quality as a painter won him great popularity throughout his career, and the Plain Dealer said he was one of the most popular artists with corporate buyers in the Cleveland area.