Jen Litchfield has been living and painting in Maine for the past 16 years. Originally from Australia, where she pursued a medical career as a general practitioner in Sydney for 20 years, she moved to the U.S. in 1994 after meeting and marrying her American husband, Peter Felsenthal, with whom she lives on Barters Island, Boothbay. 

Art has always been one of Litchfield's great loves. Her subject matter includes the landscape of New England and Europe, still life, and portraits. Smaller landscapes are painted en plein air (outdoors) and larger works are painted in the studio using sketches and her own digital photographic references. She described her style as bold and colorful – a mix of realism and impressionism. Originally painting in pastel and oil, Litchfield has now added acrylic to her repertoire. She has also branched out into more abstract styles. 

Many of Litchfield’s paintings created over the past year reflect her fascination with water and its many appearances. Living here by the sea and traveling by boat each year, she has collected many photographs of water: its moods and patterns.

In the past 18 months, Litchfield has begun to use acrylics and is finding their properties of color and handling exciting and very conducive to more experimental and abstract painting. 

Jen Litchfield’s art is represented by the Hunter Gallery of Fine Art in Grafton, Vt., and this month by Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library. If you would like to see her display, go to the library any time during its business hours of 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, except Wednesday when it closes at 7 p.m.

For more information, call 633-3112 or visit www.bmpl.lib.me.us/.