From Nantucket to Lahaina

A fifty-year journey of Paul Arsenault

Sunrise, Easy Street

Summer sunrises from Easy Street, Nantucket can be exuberantiy colorful. During the 10 summer seasons of the artist on North Wharf, the boat houses were impacted by sea life rise and growing storms.
Size: 36"x48"

ca. 1999

Available
Sur, Oman

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Located on the eastern coast of Oman, Sur is considered one of the oldest ports and maritime cities in the world. The traditional dhows (some of the derelicts seen here) have been used for centuries, and are still being built today.
Size: 24"x30"

ca. 2014

Available
English Harbor, Antigua

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Begun as a safe haven for the British Royal Navy in the 17th century, Antigua and Barbuda were granted independence from England in 1981. In 1999, the artist raced with friends during the Classic Yacht Regatta, winning the cruising class. The once pristine waters have been severely compromised by pollution, generating concerns about the health of the population and the ecosystems.
Size: 24"x30"

ca. 1999

Available
Bird's Eye View, Menton

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

The former fishing port of Menton on the French Riviera near the border of Italy is located near the city's center. As one of the warmest coastal towns on the Continent, it is popular for its therapeutic values, beautiful gardens, and accessible beaches.
Size: 24"x30"

ca. 2019

Available
Fatu Hiva, Marquesas

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

The southernmost island of the Marquesan archipelago, the volcanic Fatu Hiva is considered one of French Polynesia’s most paradisiacal and enchanting islands.
Size: 24"x30"

ca. 1983

Sydney at Night

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

​Sydney’s trifecta of landmarks is pictured: The Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932 and is considered one of the world’s great arch bridges. Along with the Sydney Opera house, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, it is an iconic part of the Sydney waterfront. The Rocks in the foreground is the neighborhood, was settled by Europeans in 1788 and is considered the birthplace of Sydney.
Size: 24"x30"

ca. 1998

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

The city of Haiphong in North Vietnam is the closest port to Halong Bay, the UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized in 2011 as one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world.
Serious efforts are being made to maintain the integrity of the emerald green waters from the onslaught of tourism and overdevelopment.
Size: 24"x30"

ca. 1995

​Waterfront Market, Bali

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

The Kedonganang Fish Market on Bali's east side is not only most colorful but expressive of the exotic Balinese culture.

Two Floridians were so repulsed by the garbage on the beaches while surfing in Bali that they were compelled to start 40cean, a not for profit dedicated to clearing the seas of plastic refuse.

ca. 1998

Classic Yacht Regatta, St. Tropez

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Considered the most extravagant regatta in the Mediterranean, Les Voiles de St. Tropez was started by 2 friends in 1981. The writer Colette and actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot are prominent legendary women of St. Tropez.

ca. 2004

Havana Harbor, Cuba

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

​Size: 24"x30"

Available
Cartagena, Columbia

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

stablished in 1533, Cartagena is a former Spanish colony on the north coast of Columbia and a historically valuable port. The Old Town of this colonial city was walled in after Sir Francis Drake sacked the town and looted 10 million ducats in 1586. The timeliness of Paul's visit to the old port of Cartagena allowed him to capture these cargo boats, lined up alongside the melon and other traditional boats.
Cartagena's long association with slavery contributed to a rich African heritage.
Size: 28"x36"

ca. 1975

​High Tide, Venice

This "City of Canals" with its graceful bridges and unique architecture is easily considered one of Italy's most picturesque cities. The impact of sea level rise is especially evident in this historic and vulnerable landmark city, particularly after annual fall floods.
Size: 30"x40"

ca. 1997

Available
Boca Grande

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

​Tucked in the mangroves of Gasparilla Island, this family owned establishment dates to 1926 and is the island's oldest marina. Paul captured the weekly Sunday shrimp sale as well as a beautiful yawl in this painting. Cherished by locals and visitors, Whidden's sustained heavy damage from Hurricane lan but is still standing.
Size: 30"x40"

ca. 1998

Available
​Schooner Wharf, Key West

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

This painting captures many historic elements of the Key West waterfront. Left to right: Jimmy Buffet's recording studio, the Town Hall, the Romanesque Customs House (now Art and History Museum), the top sail schooner Wolf (on which the artist sailed to Havana), the Constellation (Barcelona Olympics), and the Defiant, Joseph Pulitzer's 1930s era black hulled racing schooner.
Size: 30"x40"

ca. 1995

Available
​Fort Pierce Marina

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Located along the Indian River Lagoon, this marina on the east coast of Florida had a colorful array of fishing and pleasure boats and yachts. In 2013, the city and FEMA invested $18 million to safeguard against the devastating effects of hurricanes.
​Size: 30"x36"

ca. 1998

Available
Soufriere, Dominica

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Paul arrived in Dominica for the first time in 1977, and considers it his favorite island in the Caribbean. On the southwest coast, with Scots Head in the distance, this painting shows the coastal village of Soufriere. Known as the Nature Island, restoration of the reef is currently ongoing and abetted the Daniel Langlois Foundation.
Size: 30"x24"

ca. 2024

Available
​Gloucester, MA

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

​Gloucester on Cape Ann, MA is renowned for its fishing heritage, and its picturesque setting has attracted artists for nearly 200 years.
Size: 30"x40"

ca. 1997

Available
Town from Monomoy

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Three church spires on the horizon help identify Nantucket town in this view painted from the Monomoy beach.
​Size: 24"x36"

ca. 1998

Available
​Menemsha

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

This iconic fishing side on the western shore of Martha's Vineyard was most notable for the home of Captain Quint of the 1975 summer block buster JAWS.
Size: 30"x24"

Available
Port Clyde

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Port Clyde on St. George Peninsula is known today as the last working fishing fleet in Maine, and as a quiet retreat for artists and writers.
Size: 24x48"

ca. 2015

Available
St. George's, Grenada, Caribbean

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

In 1978 Paul sailed into this harbor on the legendary gaff cutter Mermaid, whose owners had initiated the Grenadine-wide Cariacou Regatta and won it every year for 8 years. A commemorative stamp solidified its importance to the island.
Its arrival in St. George Harbor after a 10 year absence generated excitement and pride and made temporary heroes of the crew and captain.
Size: 18"x48"

ca. 1987

Available
Anthony Pier 4, Bosto

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Anthony's Pier 4 (now gone) opened on the south Boston waterfront in 1963 and for at least 2 decades was a most popular and successful restaurant in the region.
Size: 16"x20"

ca. 2012

Available
Quissett Harbor

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Sailing with friends from his hometown of Hingham to Quisset on Cape Cod, the artist was compelled to paint this charming Harbor scene.
Size: 30"x48"

ca. 1992

Available
Quissett Fleet

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

​The colors of Quissset's unique fleet add to the charm of a day sail.
Size: 20"x16"

ca. 1995

Available
Gosnold at Woods Hole, MA

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

In 1962, WHOI purchased the 99 foot "Explorer" and renamed her the RV Gosnold. Paul signed on to the Gosnold in 1973 as a deckhand. While based at Woods Hole, they worked mostly with geologists including the legendary Bob Ballard, taking core samples off Georges Bank. The Gosnold also brought Paul to Florida, where the crew collected marine samples to assess the health of the sea from Gulf Stream to Indian River Lagoon to establish a pre-population boom base line.
Size: 16"x20"

ca. 1980

Rowing on the Charles

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

As rowers workout on the Charles River, the Harvard Boat House provides a classic backdrop on a fall day in Cambridge.
Size: 14x18

ca. 1994

Available
Marblehead

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

The quaint seaside town of Marblehead, just 17 miles north of Boston, was inhabited by the Naumkeag Tribe when English settlers arrived about 1629. The town developed as a summer resort and eventually gained the reputation as the
"Yachting Capital of the World". Marblehead also boasts a large concentration of buildings dating from the 1600s through the 1800s.
Size: 18"x24"

Available
Carthaginian II at Lahaina, Maui

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

Built in 1920, this schooner was used as Lahaina’s whaling museum from 1973 til 2005, when it was sunk for use as a diving reef. This painting shows the vintage wooden buildings along Lahaina's waterfront before the town was devastated by fire in 2023.
Size: 24"x30"

ca. 2004

Available
Lahaina, Maui

Plein-Air Painted Oil on Canvas

This historic riverfront town in Maui was the pride of King Kamehameha the Great (1736?- 1819) the unifier of all the Hawaiian Islands, who in 1892 made Lahaina the center of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In the 1830s and 40s, Lahaina was a major whaling port, and Nantucket was the whaling center of the world. Their fleet often called in to Lahaina during their long voyages to the Pacific.
Size: 14"x18"

ca. 2004