On a perfectly gorgeous New England day, I had the honor of walking in the footsteps of the great artist Winslow Homer as I toured his final studio/residence in Prouts Neck, Maine. This property was acquired from Homer’s descendants in in 2006 by the Portland Museum of Art and impeccably restored through a multi-phase restoration plan. It opened to the public in 2012. The two and a half hour intimate guided tour departs from PMA.

As with many of the artists I am enamored with, Winslow Homer was quirky. Our wonderful tour docent, Joan, really gave us a sense of Homer and how he spent his time at Prouts Neck.

Here are some of my favorite tales:

• He was a lone wolf. A life long bachelor, Winslow Homer’s desire to be isolated from the outer world is what originally drove him to this jagged-rocked Maine-coast peninsula. To remain there unbothered, he hoarded supplies (including his beloved cider) and designed a home and studio that was quite uninviting. Here is a photo of the street facing side, not quite brimming with warmth:

• SNAKES SNAKES MICE! In keeping with the loner theme, the FEATURED photo I placed at the top of the page was the sign Homer painted to scare off visitors who might bother him while he was out painting.

• His bed. There’s a wicker daybed on which it is said he took his last breath. It is where he slept and it is narrow and looks most uncomfortable. He modified it slightly by removing one of the arms.

• Taxidermist skills. Homer often used dead animals (that he sometimes hunted himself) as models for his work, including this fish that he used his skills to preserve.
  

  

   

• He wrote on all available surfaces. As someone who still writes an important reminder note or two on their hands (much to my mother’s continuous dismay…), I appreciate using what you have to take notes. Winslow Homer left a lot of notes on the walls of his home including: a list of people to whom he owed money scribbled on the back of a door, on another he scribbled a woman’s name; her story is unknown, and my favorite penciled on one wall in Homer’s hand is “Oh what a friend chance can be when it chooses.” Even one of the windows bears his signature.
  

  

  

  

   

• The white flag. On the second-floor porch he called the piazza,Homer hoisted a flag when he wished to have a meal delivered from one of the local inns. Now if only I could come up with a similar system…

Now in addition to the great stories, there was of course the incredible art that Winslow Homer completed during his 27-year tenure at Prouts Neck. It is a short walk from his front door to Cannon Rock and the sea that inspired works such as “Weatherbeaten” (1894), his masterful painting of driving rain and waves breaking against boulders on the shore (can be seen at the PMA) and “Cannon Rock” (1895) which is part of the Met’s collection.

If you have a chance to visit this property, I highly recommend it. It was a wonderful experience.

For tour details: visit PMA. Reservations are required.