In early August, on Prudence Island, RI, Mariana Furtney Fyfe exhibited these and some other mixed media pieces plus a portfolio of drawings related to many years spent there. The exhibit was to benefit the Prudence Island Conservancy and in memory of Stephen D.Fyfe's older sister, Sandy. Sandy was killed in a head on collision on Route 146N in 2006 on Mother's Day weekend when she was driving from Bristol, RI to Webster, MA to have dinner with her mother, and Aunt. Sandy was very active in the Prudence Conservancy work and had long dreamed of having an exhibit in which work by the many creative and talented members of the Prudence community would show their work at the Farnum Farm, the main Conservancy grounds. On a hot August day, about twenty six exhibitors set up their work in photography, watercolor, oil, relief sculpture, pottery, seaweed natural earth color, and whatnot creations. The exhibit was, as was the auction, a huge success and it was decided to have the event again.

The artwork on the left is an acrylic medium on gesso on rough carpenter paper depicting a view from the Bristol dock as one boards the Prudence Ferry; center, oils on canvas of the rough stormy early morning tide in Narragansett Bay as the shrimp boats set out; top, a graceful scene of Elm trees in oil on canvas done in the early years of marriage. Since then, both trees fell to the Dutch Elm disease; and a structure depicted in distance was torn down. Many of the artist's illustrations and drawings were of scenes since changed over time and people who have lived on Prudence for generations appreciated the chance to revisit places of their childhood and growing years. Prudence island was named after one of the daughters of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. He named the Islands in the bay after each of his daughters; Faith, Hope and Prudence. Near Newport, is an Island named Despair. One hopes this was not one of his offspring...(there is also, Goat Island) Since then, the acrylic study of the scene near the dock was donated to the art auction during the Ice Cream Social which took place on the Island Labor Day Weekend and all moneys Mariana brought from this exhibit and the auction went to benefit the Conservancy.

Mariana is wearing a 'PROJECT CURE for Multiple Sclerosis' Tshirt to support the fight to find a cure for that difficult and degenerative disease. Mariana suffers from MS and was diagnosed several years ago. She and her brother Geoffrey volunteered to be in the Project, both as a Slow Progressive MS patient and a (nonsufferer) sibling study.

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