A talented painter who specialized in marine subjects is being remembered for the skills and compassion with several exhibits.
Yves Parent lost his battle with cancer on in July at the age of 70 at his family home in La Trinité Sur Mer in France and the Lyme Art Association near his coastal Connecticut home are displaying a collection of his watercolors and oils, all painted with a sailor’s eye, through Nov. 12.
French-born, Parent became an avid sailor and blue water cruiser who painted the waterfront scenes he came across cruising from the Caribbean, Chesapeake Bay and the Northeast.
He painted a watercolor of Cape Horn on location, while crewing aboard the French entry in round the world races in 1981 and 1982. He has participated in numerous offshore races between 1962 and 1980. He sailed in eight Fastnet races and crossed the Atlantic seven times, twice in single-handed Trans-Atlantic Races from France to the Caribbean (in 1978 and 1982). After the 1982 race, he sailed up the coast and fell in love with New England. He had a studio at his home in Pawcatuck, Conn.
Since his passing, the numerous art galleries he exhibited at have held tribute exhibitions of Parent’s work. Examples of his talent have been posted online by The Christina Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard, The South Street Gallery in Hingham, Mass., and Annapolis Marine Art Gallery.
