Mahone Bay Moorings (2026)
24x36 Acrylic on Canvas
by
Daniel Cormier
This commissioned work was developed from reference photos I captured while travelling by boat through Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Taken in the quiet light approaching sunset, the scene centres on a mooring field alive with mid-summer activity—cruising yachts, small day sailors, and working fishing vessels sharing the same waters. To the right, an assortment of docks and piers—both weathered and more recent—extend into the bay, while a faint suggestion of shoreline anchors the composition along the lower edge.
Mahone Bay has been a source of inspiration for me since childhood. Its clear water and the sense of open-ended exploration among its islands continue to resonate, shaped as much by lived experience as by the enduring lore of Oak Island and the region’s privateering past. My wife and I spent time sailing these waters and visiting many of the islands during the period in which these reference images were gathered, lending this piece a personal and observational foundation.
