About the Artist

Bruce Shoemaker, a native Pennsylvanian, settled in the West Point area of Saint Simons Island GA in 1998 after living aboard his sailboat “Mariposa” in the Caribbean for five years. He now divides his time between there and a home in Penn Yan, NY, a town located in the finger lakes region of the state. Bruce studied architecture and engineering at Penn State University and earned an BA degree in Physics from Bloomsburg University in 1966. Working primarily with oils and acrylics, Bruce painted recreationally for over forty years, then, in 1999, began painting professionally. Inspired by the work of watercolor artist David Armstrong, and somewhat limited by the practical aspects of living aboard a boat, in the mid 1990’s Bruce began also working in watercolor. In his work, he aspires to go beyond the typical “watercolor look”, and has developed a distinct style that explores enhanced dimensions of light, realism, and vibrant color. Bruce’s work has received numerous awards including: Jekyll Island Art Association Spring Art Festival professional watercolor 1st place 2003, 3rd place 2004, 2nd place 2005 and 2009...Ponce Inlet Art Festival professional watercolor 2nd place 2004...Golden Isles Art and Humanities Heritage Award 2005 Coastal Heritage Exhibition...Best of Show in the Glynn Art Association October Art Festival 2005...First place professional painting 2008 Keuka Arts Festival, Penn Yan, NY…Best of Show 2009 Waterfront Art Festival, Canandaigua, NY.  Bruce's work has been published as the cover for both the 2010 and 2011 Sea Island, St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island Phone Directory.