Artists Lou and Jane Seoane work together to create collaborative landscape paintings.
By Maria Allen
Photography by Jack Foley
Perched on the banks of Macombers Creek, Lou and Jane Seoane’s Marshfield home is a landscape painter’s paradise. From their backyard, one can watch kayaks slip quietly down the winding tidal river and view Trouants Island and Humarock off in the distance. The scenic landscape can also be appreciated from the couple’s second-story art studio, where the walls are decorated with framed oil paintings, many of which are what the couple refer to as their “co-creations.”
“Typically, Jane and I each choose a photograph to use as inspiration,” says Lou Seoane. “We set a timer and start painting, and then every 20 minutes we switch places and paint on the other person’s canvas. We usually do this around six times.”
While the concept of collaborative art is not new, the practice of two artists each contributing their distinct style to a single painting is less common. The Seoanes’ method of co-creation allows a synthesis of creativity to occur. Building off of one another’s strengths and combining their individual perspectives often results in innovative and unexpected outcomes. “It’s always interesting to see how the paintings turn out,” says Seoane.
Plein air painting is another passion for the couple, who often set up their easels in their backyard or journey to other scenic South Shore locales to paint a variety of landscapes. “After painting for a couple of hours, the light begins to change so we often take photos of the scene so we can continue our paintings at home,” says Jane. Their collection of works includes depictions of places like Weir River Farm, Duxbury Beach, Minot Light, and a Marshfield cranberry bog.
The Seoanes have been pursuing painting as a hobby for about 20 years now. They were first inspired to pick up paint brushes after a chance meeting with an artist while they were on vacation in Colorado.
“We were in Vail and were done skiing for the day and we saw this guy with an easel who was painting families coming off the mountain,” says Lou. “I asked him how I could learn his technique and he told me about a class he was teaching.” Not only did the Seoanes sign up for the class, but they began actively seeking out more opportunities to incorporate plein air painting classes with traveling. Over the years, they have taken numerous trips across the country to attend art workshops in places like Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Colorado. “We attend two or three painting workshops every year and we always take plein air classes,” he says. “It gets us out in nature, which I love.”
"We attend two or three painting workshops every year and we always take plein air classes. It gets us out in nature, which I love."
— Lou Seoane
Being outdoors is second nature for Lou, who is president and CEO of Seoane Landscape Design. “In my line of work, you have to love dealing with trees and rocks, and being outdoors in 90-degree heat,” he says. Having an artistic eye has also come in handy throughout his career. From the time he established the business in 1973, Lou has become known for his ability to sketch out landscape plans by hand, helping homeowners envision the final look of their landscape design projects.
When the couple purchased their waterfront home in 2016, Lou’s team set to work breathing new life into the landscape while preserving its natural beauty. For example, while constructing a new stone patio and simulated wood deck off the back of the home, the team took great care to work around a majestic 60-foot Honey Locust tree, which now provides a lovely shaded area for entertaining. They also built a low stone wall along the back edge of the property and planted the backside slope with hearty native species of grasses and flowering plants, such northern inkberry, seashore asters, and rosa rugosa.
Not far away is the Seoanes’ dock, where they keep their boat. “A nice thing about our location is that we’re only a quarter-mile from the North River and we can ride right out to the Spit,” says Lou. As someone who grew up in Humarock, Jane cherishes being able to step out her door and paint the marsh and river landscape she fell in love with as a child. “We love it here,” she says. “I never get tired of the view.”
