"Our Silent Service" Honors Our Nations Submariners Through Art

When one imagines maritime art the first images to come to mind are coastal and marine wildlife, yachts, tall ships and lighthouses. However, for a place that is often referred to as the submarine capital of the world it is relatively difficult to find artists who create any kind of military art.

On Friday June 3 at that changed with the opening of Lizbeth Maxson-McGee’s tribute to the contributions made by our nation's submarine force.  The reception featuring the silent behemoths beneath the waves also marked the first ever one woman show at the Maritime Gallery.

“The life of a submariner is a life of sacrifice and I don’t believe that they are honored enough for what they do…as an artist this is my way of honoring them,” says Maxson-McGee.

The reception was well attended and the watercolor and charcoal art well received.  It may be hard to imagine something that is designed as a large, imposing war machine as a beautiful piece of art as well but Maxson-McGee uses the environment and weather conditions in each scene to produce stunning and often emotional works that are unique and memorable.

“The submarines are huge but they can be dwarfed by their environment,” says Maxson-McGee. This is part of the beauty of her work as the expansive and colorful backdrops provide a stark contrast to the dark and stealthy hulk cruising through the scene

One of her more emotional submarine pieces is “Eternal Patrol,” a work representing the Thresher, a nuclear powered attack submarine that sank during a test dive on April 10, 1963 taking all 129 of its crewmen with it.

Maxson-McGee spent much time researching each of the sub classes, which she represented in her work, as well as the specific weather and environmental conditions for each scene.  Her main sources were archival photographs and her good friend Steve Hallquist, a veteran submariner of six years spending most of his time on the USS Shark. 

During his time on the submarines as an electronic surveillance and photographic intelligence technician Hallquist always viewed the inner workings of the submarine as a piece of industrial art. “I was always fascinated and took pictures of the different pipes and wires made of various materials that all fit into one small space.”

Hallquist was also one of the driving forces behind the production of Maxson-McGee’s show. “During a visit to Liz’s husband’s Cornerstone Bookstore I was intrigued by a painting of a submarine passing the New London Light titled ‘Leaving Home’,“ says Hallquist. “Until then I was completely unaware of her art background…but I was aware of her ancestry”

Maxson-McGee is the great-great-granddaughter of William Ellery Maxson, co-owner of the shipyard responsible designs of one of the Union Army’s first ironclad ship during the Civil War.  “It’s fitting that she should be the one to do this show, “says Hallquist.

“Our Silent Service” will be on display at The Gallery at Firehouse Square until July 18. For more information please visit firehousesquare.com and OurSilentService.com.