American/ Rhode Island artist, watercolor titled "Centerville Church" signed in pencil.Born in Rhode Island and a product of the Rhode Island School of Design, Maxwell Mays began his painting career seriously when he was stationed in Recife, Brazil during World War II.He was discovered by an art collector from Colorado who was a U.S. Naval Officer. They became friends and this resulted in his first shows, which were at the Colorado Springs Museum and the Denver Art Museum. Returning to peace time, not having set foot in New England in five years, he saw the once familiar scenes in a new light and painted enthusiastically.Eighteen pictures made up his first show at Ferargil Gallery in New York City. Fredric Newlin Price, the director, had previously sponsored Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, Arthur B. Davis and Lauren Ford. His debut at the famous 57th Street was a sell-out.Maxwell Mays tells stories in each one of his paintings. He lives and paints in a carefully restored Rhode Island farmhouse built in 1737. It is filled with his work and artifacts that often appear in his pictures. His association with Yankee, the New England Magazine, has brought to the public a series of cover pictures adding greatly to his popularity as a collectible artist.Maxwell Mays has used many different media to create his images, including Pencil, Pen and Ink, Water Color, Acrylic, Oil and Gouache.He has created hundreds of original paintings of historic scenes from around the world, but mostly reflecting 19th & 20th century New England farming, business, recreation, and family scenes that evoke a special type of nostalgia in their storylike presentations.Overall size: 15 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. Sight size: 6 x 5 in.