An art workshop attended by the parents of David Bruce became the origin of a family, a gallery, and a lifelong journey through fine art.
After earning her degree with honors in Literature and Art from Northwestern University, Edith Stafford found herself back in Kennebunkport, Maine, caring for her mother’s 26 cats and her demanding father. Meanwhile, John Goodall Bruce, finishing a degree in Physics and Oceanography at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, accepted a scholarship to attend an art workshop in Ogunquit, Maine. Packing paints, brushes, and Masonite panels onto his Indian motorcycle, he headed down east.
At the workshop, students painted from life—in this case, a puffing lobsterman with time to spare. Edith positioned her easel to face the subject directly, while John, a left-handed draftsman and illustrator for his high school and college yearbooks, setup to the lobsterman’s right—placing him adjacent, and facing, Edith. As they worked, their eyes met across their easels, and so did their hearts.
John later accepted a position at the renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the late 1950s. Edith launched the Woods Hole Gallery, later moving it into her home. She was dedicated to showcasing only fine contemporary art representing New England. A conservator of paintings, nationally certified appraiser, and featured in Who’s Who of American Women, she restored valuable works by artists such as Buttersworth, Fitz Hugh Lane, and Swain Gifford. She co-founded the Falmouth Artists Guild, served on the board of the Provincetown Art Museum, and even organized an international exchange of acclaimed French paintings. Her winters were spent in the Bahamas, sailing and painting—selling hundreds of watercolors to locals and travelers alike.
As an Oceanographer, John Bruce, meanwhile, contributed to the understanding of large-scale ocean currents. His abstract scientific work illuminated concepts like littoral drift and deep-water movement. Though he dabbled in painting and taught life drawing, he eventually set down his brush, famously declaring, “It’s hard!” Despite his talent—widely regarded as world-class—he stepped away from art. His son, David, keeps painting for precisely that reason: because you never know what the next piece might become.
The works of Edith and John Bruce are found in private collections across the country, though many remain with their children: Richard, David, and Amy.
David Bruce studied Fine Art at the University of Maryland (University College), earning a minor while building a career as a Private Investigator and Security Protection Specialist (Navy SEAL and Security Officer). His experiences inspired his “Interstate/Highway” series—one of several distinct bodies of work that include Faces, Forms & Figures, Middle East, Animals, and a to-be-completed series on Aviation, capturing the essence of air travel from departures to arrivals. David credits his artistic eye both to growing up surrounded by fine art daily and maybe a whiff to genetics.
Included are two of David’s portraits, painted in memory of his parents.
