Just off Upper Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is a small stretch of land called Amrita Island, where Joseph McGurl has lived for almost 30 years. It’s also where he has his studio and paints landscapes of both the East Coast and the West Coast.
That stretch of land has a history as colorful as McGurl’s paintings. In 1867, British immigrant Thomas Baxendale and his wife Esther purchased the land and built a mansion and several “cottages.” Those structures housed visiting scholars from Harvard University, who would present seminars on world peace, children’s issues, animal welfare, and other concerning topics.
Today the island, which is connected to the Upper Cape by a stone bridge, has nine homes, one of which is owned by McGurl and his wife Patty. Their home, built in 1897, is a former carriage house and is perfectly suited to the couple.
Read the full article in the July/August 2024 issue.
Drift Boats on the Colorado
Oil
20″ by 30″
The Black Hat
Oil
18″ by 24″
