Why I Became a Coastal Artist (From Lake Erie to Charleston)
How a coastal artist inspired by the Great Lakes and the Charleston coast found her way back to painting water, waves, and shoreline light.
I’m a coastal artist based in Buffalo, New York, creating coastal paintings inspired by places like Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes, and the Charleston, South Carolina coast. When people hear the phrase coastal art, they often picture artists living in places like Florida, California, or Cape Cod. Not Western New York.
My name is Justine Palkowski, and I’m the artist behind Second Shore, a coastal art brand inspired by the water that has shaped my life, from the shores of Lake Erie and the Finger Lakes to the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.
For me, coastal art is not just about the ocean. It is about the feeling of being near the water.
And that feeling has followed me my entire life.
A Coastal Artist Inspired by Lakes and the Ocean
I often describe myself as a coastal artist inspired by both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic coast. I have always loved the beach. The ocean, the lakes, the waves, the shoreline. Water has always been the place where I feel most calm and inspired.
Second Shore, the name of my coastal art brand, actually came from a very personal moment.
When I moved from the Great Lakes to Charleston, I found myself missing lake life more than I expected. I missed boating. I missed sitting at the end of the dock. I missed the rhythm of life around the lakes.
Charleston was beautiful, but it was also different. I realized I was living on my second shoreline. My second shore.
That feeling is what inspired me to start creating again.
Second Shore began as a Lake Erie apparel idea, but it slowly evolved into what it is today. A coastal art brand inspired by both lakes and ocean coastlines.
Growing Up Near the Water
Water has always been part of my life.
My grandparents owned a cottage on Oneida Lake, and I recently shared a photo of myself when I was about one year old, crouching down in the lake at the shoreline. Even then, I seemed completely drawn to it.
I also grew up near Lake Erie. My dad would take me to Sunset Bay Beach, where we would play in the waves and walk along the shoreline.
Later in life I took sailing lessons, surfing lessons, and spent countless days paddle boarding on the lake.
Nothing makes me happier than being near the water. Watching the sun glisten across the waves, hearing the rhythm of the shoreline, and feeling that calm that comes with it.
Places like Lake Erie, Oneida Lake, and the Finger Lakes shaped the way I see water and the way I paint it today.
Discovering the Charleston Coast
Charleston also played a huge role in shaping my artistic inspiration.
My other grandparents lived there when I was growing up (still do to this day), and we would visit Folly Beach when I was younger. Later in life, I lived there myself. I think I was in 5th grade when I declared that I was moving to Charleston and did an entire class research project on the state of South Carolina. I was hooked from an early age.
I remember Charleston when creepy mimes lined the streets, entertaining tourists and sailors, and there was never any traffic on the way to the beaches.
But even as a kid, one of the things that struck me most about the Charleston coast was the color.
Charleston sunsets are incredible. The skies often look like sorbet with soft shades of coral, pink, peach, and orange reflecting across the water. The light there feels different than it does on the Great Lakes.
What I love most is how those sunset colors interact with the greenery of the Lowcountry. The palmetto trees, sago palms, azaleas, and lush coastal plants create this vibrant contrast with the sky and water.
Those colors and that atmosphere continue to influence my coastal paintings today.
The Great Lakes Feel Coastal Too
A lot of people think coastal art only comes from the ocean. But if you have ever stood next to one of the Great Lakes, you know that is not necessarily true.
Standing at the edge of Lake Erie can feel remarkably similar to standing at the ocean.
You can’t see the other side. It’s just a wall of blue against the horizon. You see lighthouses, boats, sandy beaches, birds like herons, hydrangeas growing near the shoreline, and waves rolling toward the beach.
People build bonfires in the sand and spend long evenings watching the sunset over the water.
The biggest difference is simple. One is saltwater and one is freshwater.
But the feeling of being near the water, the calm, the rhythm, the light, is incredibly similar.
For people who love the coast, lakes often evoke that same sense of peace.
That is a big part of why my work blends inspiration from both lakes and ocean coastlines.
What I Try to Capture in My Coastal Art and Paintings
When I paint water, there are two things I am almost always trying to capture.
The first is the reflection of sunlight on the water.
Whether it is a bright midday sun or a glowing sunset at the end of the day, I am fascinated by the way light dances across the surface of the water. That shimmering reflection is one of my favorite things to watch when I am near the shoreline.
The second is the shape of waves.
Whether it is the ocean or a large lake, waves move in similar ways. I love the curve of a breaking wave and the barrel shape that forms as it rolls toward the shore.
I could sit and watch waves for hours.
When I paint these moments, I want people to feel the same thing they feel when they are standing at the shoreline. I want them to hear the waves, see the sunlight glistening on the water, and experience that quiet sense of calm.
Coastal Art for Lake Houses and Homes Near the Water
I often imagine my paintings hanging in lake houses and coastal homes.
Many people who collect coastal art have a deep connection to the water. They spend weekends at lake cottages, beach houses, or homes near the shoreline. When they go inside, they do not want to lose that feeling of being near the water.
That is where coastal artwork can play a role.
Paintings inspired by water can bring that feeling indoors. They can remind you of evenings on the dock, mornings paddle boarding on the lake, or long sunsets by the ocean.
Whether someone has a lake house on Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes, Oneida Lake, Chautauqua Lake, or a beach house along the coast, the connection to water is often the same.
It is something you never really want to look away from.
What Second Shore Means
The name Second Shore is deeply personal to me.
I came up with it when I was living in Charleston. I loved being near the ocean, but I also found myself missing lake life.
I missed boating. I missed sitting at the end of the dock. I missed the quiet rhythm of the lakes where I had spent so much of my life.
Charleston was my second shoreline.
Second Shore became a way to express that connection.
For some people, their second shore might be the beach they visit every summer. For others, it might be a lake house where they spend weekends with family. And for some, it might simply be a painting in their home that reminds them of the water they love.
That is what I hope my art can offer.
A small piece of the shoreline you can take with you.
Explore My Coastal Paintings
If you love coastal art, beachy artwork, or paintings inspired by life near the water, you can explore my work at Second Shore.
I’m a coastal artist who paints ocean-inspired and lake-inspired artwork designed for beach houses, lake houses, and homes near the water.
You can view my coastal paintings, prints, and available artwork here: https://www.secondshore.co
You can also follow along on Instagram at @secondshore, where I share new paintings, coastal inspiration, and life near the water.
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This article originally appeared on my Substack, where I write about coastal art, lake life, and the inspiration behind my paintings.
