“Salt of the Earth, Tides of the Soul”

This new series explores my personal relationship with place – from the windswept shores of Ireland to the vibrant coast of Florida. It is a homage to heritage and the emotional landscape of migration.

“Salt of the Earth, Tides of the Soul” is an evolved series of work by artist Claire Jane Kendrick, who has spent the last twenty years capturing the spirit and serenity of Northeast Florida’s marshlands and coastal beauty. Originally from Europe and with a background in fashion design, Kendrick’s journey as an artist has been deeply rooted in a personal exploration of place and belonging. This exhibition brings together a selection of landscape paintings inspired by the artist’s adopted home—a place where the quiet rhythm of tidal marshes, the raw edges of sandy shores, and the vast openness of the sea become a metaphor for identity and emotional connection.

The body of work reflects a deep reverence for the region’s unique ecology, where saltmarsh grasses meet brackish waters and barrier islands shift under the ever-changing light. Each panel is layered with color and texture, echoing not just the surface beauty of these environments but also their spiritual resonance.

As a long-time resident of St. Augustine, Kendrick finds inspiration in both the natural surroundings and the European roots that connect the city to her own heritage. Her paintings serve as meditations on the passage of time and memory, offering a contemporary interpretation of Florida’s landscape that feels timeless, atmospheric, and reflective.

Visitors to the region often remark on the surprising familiarity of the landscape—particularly those from the Northeast United States who find echoes of home in the waving grasses and winding waterways. Kendrick leans into these cross-regional resonances, creating a visual dialogue between her work and the emotional landscapes people carry with them. Sea, Sand, and Sentiment are the elements that led Kendrick to the Title : “Salt of the Earth, Tide of the Soul” its more than a study of the land—it is a portrait of place, migration, memory, and the quiet beauty that calls people to stay.

Title: “Title: Distant Sails” 40×48 Oil on canvas, Exhibiting at Trees Place Gallery, Orleans, MA

Artist Statement:

My work is grounded in a sense of place. Born and raised in Europe, I relocated to the United States over two decades ago and have since made Northeast Florida my home. The transition was as emotional as it was physical—leaving behind the familiar, embracing the unknown, and over time discovering a landscape that resonated with both memory and possibility.

My background in fashion design continues to influence how I approach the canvas—with sensitivity to texture, form, and detail. Yet, it is the marshes, beaches, and estuaries of this coastal region that have become the true fabric of my work. These places hold quiet power. They are at once expansive and intimate, ever-shifting yet deeply rooted. Through abstraction, I aim to capture the ephemeral beauty of these environments and the emotional responses they evoke.

St. Augustine, with its rich European influence and layered history, offered a point of familiarity during a time of personal reinvention. In these surroundings, I found comfort and creative clarity. The paintings I create are not exact renderings, but rather impressions—echoes of time spent walking the shoreline, observing light moving across the water, and listening to the stillness of the marsh.

Many visitors to this region are surprised to find how much the landscape reminds them of places they once knew. It’s a sentiment I share. There’s something universally connective about the way water meets land here. It invites introspection and quiet awe. Through my work, I seek to honor these spaces and share that sense of connection and wonder.

(*2006 Kendrick relocated to Florida – 2026 will mark 20 years in the USA)

Title: “Wade Between Worlds – Walk to Freedom” 36×48, Personal Collection of the Artist

Description :

This piece draws inspiration from the spiritual “Wade in the Water”, a song believed to have guided freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. With origins over four centuries old, it is steeped in resilience, coded language, and the sacred rhythm of survival. In St. Augustine, one of America’s oldest cities, these echoes feel especially present—where the marshes and rivers once served as literal paths to freedom.

Layered within the work is the artist’s own connection to migration and music—recalling the longing and lyrical storytelling of traditional Irish ballads, and the soulful, bluegrass tones that bridge both her heritage and her adopted home. The composition becomes a meeting place of cultures and histories, bound by water, memory, and the shared human desire for belonging.

Title: “Faraway Dreams” 40×60 Exhibiting at The Atlantic Contemporary Gallery, Fernandina, FL

Description :

In Far Away Dreams, the marsh unfolds like a living tapestry—woven in threads of gold, sage, and shadow. Kendrick captures the vast, layered stillness of Florida’s coastal wetlands, where the land seems to breathe in rhythm with the tides. This expansive view isn’t just topographical; it’s emotional—a visual meditation on distance, memory, and becoming.

As an artist shaped by her Northern Irish roots and her life along the Atlantic coast of the American South, Kendrick paints between two worlds. Here, the horizon becomes a bridge—not just across water and sky, but across time, migration, and a longing. The muted luminosity of the work reflects both clarity and complexity, mirroring the dualities that define her personal story: rooted and adrift, wild and still, familiar and far away.

Like a dream stirred by sea winds, the painting offers space for reflection—on the land that holds us, and the dreams that carry us forward.

Title: Tall Trees, Diptych 48×72, Oil on Canvas, Exhibiting at Plum Gallery, St Augustine FL

Description :

Inspired by Eva Cassidy’s moving rendition of Tall Trees in Georgia, this work pays tribute to the timeless guardians of the Southern marshlands. The grand oaks in the diptych rise with quiet dignity—weathered, unwavering figures that have withstood hurricanes, rising tides, and shifting seasons. For Kendrick, these trees become metaphors for resilience and memory—rooted in place, shaped by time. Like the song that inspired it, the painting holds space for both strength and solitude, capturing the hushed beauty of the landscape and the lives that have passed beneath its canopy.

Title: Symphony in Pink 48×48, Oil on Canvas, Exhibiting at the Atlantic Contemporary Gallery

Description :

Symphony in Pink captures a fleeting, luminous moment—when the marsh is bathed in a wash of rose and gold, and the horizon seems to hum with warmth. A radiant burst of light anchors the scene, evoking the timeless allure of the “other side”—that distant, glowing place where the grass might seem greener. Yet here, in this particular place and time, Kendrick reminds us that paradise is not imagined—it is present.

For a painter, Florida’s light is unmatched. Its clarity, its color, its heat—it infuses every blade of grass, every ripple in the water. Kendrick, a transplant from Northern Ireland, knows the contrast intimately. In this work, she layers paint the way memory layers experience: saturated, soft-edged, and full of reverence.

This painting is not just a landscape—it’s a sensory crescendo. A moment of awe. A reminder that the beauty we long for is often already beneath our feet.

Title: “Salt of the Earth, Tide of the Soul ” – (“Marsh Life Vista” ) 72×48, Oil on Canvas Exhibiting at The Atlantic Contemporary Gallery, FL

Description / Wall Text:

“Salt of the Earth, Tide of the Soul” captures the breathtaking meeting of marshlands, dunes, and the vast Atlantic Ocean. The marshes, rich with the essence of the land, give way to the windswept dunes that guard the shoreline, leading the eye to the horizon and the ocean beyond. This painting reflects the deep connection between earth and sea—two elements that shape and define the landscape, yet also echo the forces that shape the soul.

The salt of the marshes, carried by the tides, symbolizes both the harshness and the nourishment that nature offers. The dunes, ever-shifting yet steadfast, represent the resilience of the land, while the ocean, vast and unpredictable, speaks to the infinite possibilities and the pull of faraway shores. This work invites viewers to reflect on the intricate balance between land and water, and the deeply ingrained sense of place that roots us while also drawing us toward distant horizons.

As a key piece in the exhibition, “Salt of the Earth, Tide of the Soul” serves as a metaphor for the interconnection of earth, salt, sea, and land—forces that have shaped the natural world and continue to shape the lives of those who call this landscape home.

Title: “Whispers of the Shore” 40×48 Oil on Canvas, Exhibiting at Trees Place Gallery, Orleans, MA

Description / Wall Text: This title honors both the untamed beauty of the coastal edge and the emotional experience of finding home in that wildness. It celebrates passion, place, and the deeply personal connection to this specific geography.

Title : Forward Motion, 48 x 48 inches | Oil on Canvas | Available at Gardner Colby Gallery, Naples FL

In Forward Motion, Claire Kendrick captures the relentless rhythm of nature—always shifting, always advancing. Using bold strokes and layered textures, she renders a coastal scene that speaks to persistence, momentum, and the unseen energy beneath the surface.

The work is defined by movement: the sweep of tide, the push of wind, the subtle suggestion that time never stands still. Kendrick’s palette is confident and sunlit, with moments of contrast that pull the viewer into the dynamic space between land and sea. Her use of the palette knife adds immediacy and tension to the surface, echoing the friction between stability and change.

This painting is not simply about the ocean—it’s about the emotional drive to keep going, even when the path forward is uncertain. It resonates with those navigating transitions, suggesting that even in turbulence, there is progress. Forward Motion reminds us that nature, like life, rarely stands still—and sometimes, moving through is its own quiet triumph.

Salt of the Earth –Tides of the Soul is an ongoing body of work with endless creative possibilities. Some paintings are currently on exhibit, and I will continue to keep you informed as plans for a larger showcase unfold. Thank you for following along as this series evolves.