ROCKPORT — People visit the Atlantic coast for many reasons, including nostalgia tied to its history, culture, and unspoiled landscape. This is explored in "Letters from Home," on display May 31 - June 26, at Carol L. Douglas Studio/Richards Hill Gallery, 394 Commercial Street, Rockport.

An opening reception will be held Saturday, May 31, from 4 - 7 p.m.

“We all feel the pull of memory and collective experience,” said Douglas. “These may not even be from our own generation, but universal images that go back generations. We think of the Maine coast as scenic and unchanging, but in part that’s a response to these received archetypes. People seek to experience that collective nostalgia when they visit Maine for its small villages, lobster pounds, working harbors and blueberry barrens. Artists aren’t immune to the idea either, as generations of painters have tended to paint what’s just gone past, rather than what is cutting-edge. I’ve selected each painting to speak to the fleeting nature of time and memory. In some cases, they’re things that are no longer here.”

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

For more information, visit watch-me-paint.com.