Artist Bio
As a young girl growing up along the north shore of Lake Superior, I was intrigued by the “Plein Air” painters who set up their easels along the shoulders of Highway 61 to capture the rugged beauty of the coastline before them. Like them, I am in awe of the raw beauty that surrounds me. Like them, I am compelled to put paint to paper to capture the essence of the wild places around me. Master watercolor artist Cheng-Khee Chee of Duluth, MN says, “Paint what you know, paint what you love”. I am drawn to paint the wild places where rock, water, sky, and forest meet. Nothing makes me feel more alive than to set up my easel along a rugged piece of shoreline; feel the sun on my face, feel the wind buffet me, watch the lake waves swell, hear the gulls call, and breathe in the essence of the forest around me. This is when I feel most alive, painting “en plein air” – capturing the beauty of what lies before me.

Membership in Arts Organizations:
2013 – the present – Lake Superior Watercolor Society
2017 – the present – Outdoor Painters of Minnesota
2003 – the present – Northern Lake County Arts Board
2015 – the present – Duluth Art Institute
2015 – the present – Grand Marais Art Colony
2015 – the present – Tweed Museum of Art

contact Sandra Maxwell:  contact@lakesuperiorwatercolorsociety.com