Paintings by Maine artist included in Washington, D.C. exhibit
Barbara Ernst Prey in her studio with the final study for a MASS MoCA-commissioned painting, one of the largest watercolor paintings in the world, measuring 9 feet tall by 16 feet wide. (Photo courtesy of Barbara Prey Projects)
When watercolor artist Barbara Ernst Prey spotted a small American flag tucked into a wreath of woven sticks on a faded blue door on Monhegan Island, she knew she wanted to capture it.
That image became a new painting titled “250th.”
For Prey, the work speaks to the importance of art and culture in the country’s long history.
“It feeds our soul and it inspires. You might disagree politically, but you would come together in a wonderful concert or in the arts,” said Prey, who splits her time between New York and Tenants Harbor.
The painting is one of three of Prey’s works that will be on view in “Passport to Patriotism: 250 Years of Diplomacy” at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington D.C. until mid-October.
Barbara Ernst Prey, “250th,” 2025, watercolor on paper, 28 x 21 inches. (Image courtesy of the artist)
The country’s birthday resonates with Prey for another reason.
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Her Maine roots go back centuries. Her family were among the first settlers of Vinalhaven and North Haven in the early 1700s.
“They fought in the Revolutionary War, defending the coast from the British,” she said. “So I have this very deep connection to Maine which is, for me, very cool because because it’s such an inspiration.”
Barbara Ernst Prey, “Gallantly Streaming,” 2001, watercolor on paper, 27 x 39 inches. (Image courtesy of the artist)
The other two paintings in the “Passport” exhibit are “Gallantly Streaming” and “God and Country,” both created soon after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Gallantly Streaming,” which shows a flag returning to full staff after 30 days of mourning that followed the attacks, was recently exhibited at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
“Gallantly Streaming” was deeply personal, Prey said.
“I grew up in Manhasset on Long Island and it lost 43 lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center,” Prey said. “I knew people who died, I knew people who had families who died. I was looking at this flapping flag in the same beautiful sky of September 11.”
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Barbara Ernst Prey, “God and Country,” 2001, watercolor on paper, 27.5 x 22 inches. (Image courtesy of the artist)
“God and Country,” which shows white church doors with two small flags and a pair of mourning bows, was exhibited at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in France.
Prey painted it when she retreated to Maine in autumn 2001, basing the image on a door she saw on Swans Island. “I came to Maine because I knew that would be a great source of inspiration to me.”
The “Passport” exhibit is free and open to the public through Oct. 18. It is curated by the State Department’s Office of Art in Embassies and Prey is among 30 artists whose works are included.
The office was created in the 1950s at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and was formalized by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Its mission is to foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through the visual arts and artist exchanges. It is an official office within the U.S. Department of State and encompasses more than 200 venues in 189 countries.
Prey’s paintings are also in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Farnsworth, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, NASA and the White House. She also has a painting at the headquarters of the National Endowment for the Arts, among other locations.
She also has one of the largest watercolor paintings in the world at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. “MASS MoCA Building 6, 2015 – 2017” measures 9 feet tall by 16 feet wide.
In Maine, you can see three Prey exhibits, including “The American Landscape Abroad, Art in Embassies” at Barbara Prey Projects at 855 Port Clyde Road (Main Street) in St. George through Labor Day.
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Aimsel Ponti is a music writer and content producer for the Portland Press Herald. She has been obsessed with – and inspired by – music since she listened to Monkees records borrowed from the town. More by Aimsel Ponti
