Maine, a Love Story - Paperback

by Blue Butterfield (Author)

A gorgeous illustrated memoir about an artist finding herself and her craft in coastal Maine

"Can you live in a moment?"

Portland printmaker Blue Butterfield's intimate illustrated memoir pairs personal history with her stunning woodcut prints, exploring how place shapes identity and art becomes a lifeline through loss.

From her childhood on Mount Desert Island--raised by a resourceful single mother who painted paisley swirls on her car and grew their food--to her current life in Portland's West End, Butterfield reveals how Maine nurtured both her creativity and resilience. Her reflections navigate profound themes through specific landscapes: a father's abandonment after a devastating accident, finding solace in Acadia National Park, the search for control in an unpredictable world, and the discovery that "it's not loss that defines us--it's what we find."

What she found was a state that became both sanctuary and inspiration, from the peaks of Katahdin to the "turquoise rosettes" of Brussels sprouts on the family farm, from the islands of Casco Bay to the magnolias blooming in the city. In these essays, she translates the same mindful attention she brings to carving wood into words that capture fleeting moments of beauty and meaning.

This is a book about finding home--not just in a place, but in the act of truly seeing it.

Author Biography

Blue Butterfield is a woodblock print artist who grew up in Bar Harbor and currently resides in Portland, Maine. She graduated from Bowdoin College and received her Masters in Health Professions from Northeastern University. When she is not carving wood, she practices medicine as a physician assistant at Maine Medical Center. She is the illustrator of the classic book Christmas in Maine, written by Robert P. T. Coffin, and is the creator of a popular calendar "A Year in Maine," which she has produced annually since 2006. She has also hand-carved the wood block prints for Coloring Maine, a coloring book that captures the beauty of Maine's varied landscapes. She has works in permanent collections in institutions across Maine. In addition to creating art and working in the medical field, Butterfield also enjoys running, participating in "absurd athletic competitions," cooking vegan meals, and spending time with her husband, Kevin, and their two sons.