On Stearns Landing, Kezar Pond, Lowell, Maine

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It seems that Stearns Landing on Kezar Pond in Lowell (today Fryeburg), Maine has passed into history. But how lovely … Read more It seems that Stearns Landing on Kezar Pond in Lowell (today Fryeburg), Maine has passed into history. But how lovely it was on that silvery overcast day in 1907 when the little Arkansas Traveler dinghy pushed up on the pond’s sandy shore. Undoubtedly, the artist Delbert Dana Coombs (1850-1930) set up his easel on this spot to capture the hills and another dinghy not far off, ideally situated to make this pleasing composition.
Born in Maine, Coombs already showed artistic talent as a small child. Although he did take private lessons from local artists, he was primarily self-taught. He went on to a more than 50-year career focused on landscapes like this, but particularly those of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, where he painted between 1890 and 1925. As a prolific painter, he also did commissioned portraits, particularly of Maine politicos, notably two of one of Maine’s governors, and cattle paintings. He spent most of his adult years in Auburn, Maine and even painted a picture on the day he passed away in 1938, an artist’s take on dying with your boots on. See less