CAMDEN — The Camden Public Library welcomes fine artist Susan Tobey White for an afternoon book event on Sunday, Dec. 10, from 2 - 3 p.m., in the Picker Room. White will share from her latest book and body of work, Lobstering Women of Maine, featuring White's paintings of Maine's lobstering women and the stories of what they have to do every day to be successful in an industry dominated by men. Books will be available for purchase and signings.
 
White's inspiration was watching a woman unloading lobster traps from a boat on to a snow-covered dock. Her first painting was of this hard-working young woman. The simple idea began: a series of paintings of women lobstering.
 
“Now, eighteen portraits later, we see what is needed for the work of lobstering: painting buoys, baiting traps, hauling the traps, sizing the lobsters and banding them. All the while maneuvering the powerful boat,” said CPL, in a news release.
 
Several generations of women and girls along the Coast of Maine are represented. These are hardworking women who juggle family, school, and other jobs, along with their joy of being out on the water.
 
Susan Tobey White has been involved in creating forever and has been a full time working artist in Maine for the last 20 years. She worked as an elementary art teacher for 15 years, participating in art shows during the summer where she showed her paintings and doll sculptures. 
 
When she stopped teaching she opened High Street Studio & Gallery in Belfast, where she showed her own work and that of others for 15 years. The gallery closed a few years ago when the building sold. Her current studio, Susan Tobey White Studio, is located at 111 High Street in Belfast and open by chance or by appointment.
 
White has taught painting workshops during the past 17 years and continues, traveling the East Coast to do so. She is certified through Golden Acrylics, Inc and Silver Brush as one of their Artist Educators. Her teaching has been enhanced tremendously by the knowledge of paint and brushes these two businesses have shared, according to the release.
 
Her work has been shown in numerous venues in Maine, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Many of her paintings are in private collections throughout the United States and internationally. Her most recent body of work, Lobstering Women of Maine, was on display at the Penobscot Marine Museum for their 2019 season. Learn more about White at her website, www.susantobeywhite.com.