2022 Artists-in-Residence
The Center has established and funds the Artist-in-Residence Program at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Since 2021, the Center has brought artists from around the country to the museum’s campus to interact with visitors and promote the lively tradition of American marine art.
Joyful Enriquez is an award-winning marine artist based in northwest Florida. From a young age she dreamed of being an underwater explorer and her art was of the underwater world. Whales and other sea creatures inspired her life, and that inspiration continues today. Her images capture the unique color and movement of light underwater. Joyful mixes representational and expressionist styles and captures the natural movement and energy found beneath the surface.
Joyful’s work is the result of intense research - from scuba diving, snorkeling, visiting aquariums, and collaborating with naturalists and conservationists. The hands-on approach allows Joyful to express her subject matter while maintaining accurate anatomy and environment. To reflect the natural theme, Joyful often uses reclaimed and repurposed wood for many of her frames.
Joyful holds both a BS and MFA in studio art and illustration from Pensacola Christian College, and is a member of the Oil Painters of America, Ocean Artists Society, and the Cultural Arts Alliance. She has been mentored by the master artists Mark Susinno, Don Ray, David Miller, and Brian Jekel.
Several national exhibits have featured Enriquez works, including St. Augustine’s Annual Nature and Wildlife of Florida Exhibition, the Oil Painters of America Salon and Regional Exhibitions and the Richeson 75 Gallery Shows. Joyful's work has been featured in TV interviews, newspaper articles and publications, including the prestigious Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.
Patrick O'Brien has been a full time professional artist and illustrator since the mid-1980s. His art has appeared in magazines and newspapers, on posters and greeting cards, and even on billboards.
Serena Bates has exhibited shows and galleries across the United States and Canada. She has won many prestigious awards and honors during her career from the American Artists Professional League, Allied Artists of America, the Salmagundi Club, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Club, the Academic Artist Association, Mystic Museum of Art to name only a few. The artist is also a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, Artists for Conservation, Allied Artists of America, American Artists Professional League and Salmagundi Club.