On This Island: An Artist View of Martha's Vineyard

As the ferry leaves Woods Hole and Martha's Vineyard slowly rises on the horizon, something inside you changes. The air is cleaner, the sky seems more blue and the water clearer. Then you realize it is not the water or the air or the sky that change, but that "something inside you" changes as you leave the mainland and draw closer to the Island. Martha's Vineyard may be just a few miles off the coast of Cape Cod, but to those who love the Island, she is world away. The Wampanoag name for the Vineyard, Noepe means "Island in the Streams" and comes close to capturing the essence of Martha's Vineyard. To describe Martha's Vineyard historically and geographically is easy. It was formed nearly 12,000 years ago, was first settled by the Wampanoag Indians and was discovered in 1602 by English mariner Bartholomew Gosnold. It is 100 square miles and consists of six distinct towns. But to capture the spirit of the Island is a much greater challenge. Acclaimed artists Billy Morrow Jackson, a Vineyard resident and visitor for over fifty years, and his wife, Siti Maria Jackson, provide an artist's view of this unique "Island in the Streams." On this Island includes original paintings, including classic works depicting the Gay Head Cliffs and Menemsha to the down Island towns of Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. The artists focus not only on the land that is Martha's Vineyard, but they also capture the life and spirit of the people of the Island. On this Island: An Artist's View of Martha's Vineyard offers a rare view of the Island captured by two artists who know and appreciate all that the Island is.