Terrence Joyce Maritime: Fact & Fantasy at East End Seaport Museum

Greenport artist Terrence Joyce is displaying some 30 paintings at the East End Seaport Museum this Saturday and Sunday, May 24–25.

The exhibition, Maritime: Fact & Fantasy features a nice mix of Joyce’s paintings of North Fork harbors, boats and bays, as well as a selection of mermaid paintings, for which he’s become well known. To mark the occasion, Joyce has also given the museum a 12 x 36 inch acrylic on canvas, “Docks, Greenport” (2012), depicting his hometown harbor and the fishermen who work there.

“I’ve donated lots of things to them,” Joyce said, explaining his support of the East End Seaport Museum. “I like what they do—they take the kids out to smell the salt air and stuff like that.”

His painting, “Docks, Greenport,” which will become part of the East End Seaport Museum’s permanent art collection, is a study for a larger work, but its subject is quite meaningful and important to Joyce. “I like the idea of the guys here going fishing in the morning,” he said, noting that he painted his scene at the Greenport Harbor docks at dawn as the local fishermen prepared their boats to embark.

Everything about the piece speaks to what Joyce describes as “the old Greenport,” a historic fishing village that forges on, maintaining its old ways against difficult odds and a changing world. “The museum is carrying on that tradition to the next generation,” Joyce said, though he did sneak a few not-so-traditional angels into the scene.

Last year, Joyce painted a large 8 x 24 foot undersea mural featuring sea creatures and fanciful mermaids for the East End Seaport Museum. The massive piece was displayed on the museum grounds and included a hole visitors could walk through.

Maritime: Fact & Fantasy will also be displayed outdoors, with the various works arranged under tents on the museum grounds. The show will be open 11 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 24–25 at the East End Seaport Museum at 103 3^rd Street in Greenport, 631-477-2100, eastendseaport.org.

An opening reception with the artist is scheduled from 5–7 p.m. on Saturday, May 25. A portion of all sales will benefit the East End Seaport Museum.

To learn more about Terrence Joyce, visit terrencejoycegallery.com.