Today we’d like to introduce you to Josephine Tarbell Toepfer.
Hi Josephine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My story is one of fits and starts. While I’ve spent summers on Monhegan Island, Maine, for watercolor workshops and in rural Pennsylvania at the Mount Gretna School of Art, I only began to give my art sustained attention—perhaps surprisingly—once I became a mom. I realized I could have the best of both worlds, staying home with my son and focusing on painting. I now draw inspiration primarily from two different sources: my childhood on the New Hampshire seacoast and my time spent in Italy studying ancient Roman and Greek art.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I always wanted to paint full-time, but I admit that the concerned looks on people’s faces when I told them that (“How will you make any money?!”) led me to study other things in college and treat art as more of a hobby. And even now, balancing motherhood and growing as an artist isn’t always easy. But I’ve found I get the perfect amount of time to paint daily during naps and after bedtime.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My primary medium is watercolor, but I dabble in oil painting and sketching. I think I take a more “realist” approach to watercolor. I love the beauty of the natural world, especially sea life. I love the small details and the brilliant colors of nature. Most recently, I’ve been focusing on painting fish and other creatures worldwide, including New Hampshire, the Sea of Galilee, and even St. Louis.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I studied Latin and Greek, and anthropology, in college! But with that came a healthy dose of ancient art. I work that inspiration into my pieces when I can. Also, the name Little Harbor Studio is inspired by the quaint coastal town of New Castle, New Hampshire, where I spent much of my childhood.
Pricing:
- 8.5×11” prints – $25 on Etsy
- Greeting cards – $5 on Etsy
- Tea towels – $24 on Etsy
- Custom monograms – price varies
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleHarborStudioUS
- Instagram: @littleharborstudio
Image Credits
Owen Toepfer, Josephine Toepfer, Ryse Photography
