It’s a clear summer day, and the harbor in South Bristol, Maine, is filled with lobster boats. In the distance, sailboats ply the Damariscotta River off Rutherford Island. A well-known fishing and yachting destination, South Bristol encompasses just under 30 square miles of which only 13 square miles are land, but it has a rich maritime history and classic coastal charm that Lou Bonamarte captures in this vibrant watercolor painting.
Located in the heart of Midcoast Maine, South Bristol is bordered to the west by the Damariscotta River, to the east by Johns Bay, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The southern third of the town is located on Rutherford Island, which is connected to the mainland by a drawbridge across a narrow passage of water called “The Gut.” The small green bridge is just to the right of the center of the painting.
The Gut has been a point of contention in South Bristol’s history since the mid-19th century. In 1849, citizens petitioned the state legislature to replace the fixed bridge connecting the two halves of the town with a drawbridge, which would allow ships to pass from Johns Bay to the Damariscotta River without having to travel 8 miles around the island. This petition fell on deaf ears, however, and the original bridge remained.
In 1891, a new bridge was built, though still not a drawbridge; it collapsed during the town’s 1902 Fourth of July celebrations. In 1903, a hand-cranked wooden swing bridge was constructed, which was replaced in 1921 with a steel drawbridge. That bridge crashed in 1929 and was replaced with a swing bridge in 1930. Much more successful than prior iterations, this bridge remained in use until 2017—one of only three swing bridges in Maine—before it was finally replaced with a safer drawbridge.
For many decades, the main industries in South Bristol were fishing, lobstering, clamming, aquaculture and tourism. The Harvey F. Gamage Shipyard built minesweepers here for the U.S. Navy during World War II, as well as more than 288 sailboats, powerboats, draggers, scallopers and windjammers. Among the builder’s most notable projects was the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, built in 1968 for singer Pete Seeger’s non-profit organization. On Rutherford Island, Shew and Burnham Inc. built more than 200 small traditional wooden boats before closing shop. Known for their exquisite craftsmanship, these boats sold primarily to customers in New England, including Martha Stewart, though some landed as far as Norway and England.
Bonamarte lived in New London, Connecticut, but he often visited South Bristol to fish for mackerel. Born in 1933, he worked as a graphic designer and illustrator. He was drawn to watercolors after attending a show by watercolor artist John Pike, and he went on to study with Pike in 1964 and 1968 before deciding to work full-time as a fine artist in 1970.
Bonamarte received many awards during his lifetime, including the American Watercolor Society’s Herb Olsen Award in 1972 and the Mystic Seaport Museum Purchase Award in 1990. He passed away in 2020. Today, his watercolors are regarded for their vitality and sophistication, and they are featured in many special exhibitions and private and corporate collections.\
April 2025
