Sometimes in my search for things historical and interesting around and about my town, a museum grabs my attention. What’s more, interesting exhibits are mounted by Mystic Seaport — which always does a phenomenal job of drawing me in.

This year the Seaport finished construction of the remarkable Thompson Exhibition Building, which will open its first exhibition in December. Sadly we will have to wait a couple of months.

But adjacent to the new Thompson Building is the R.J. Schaefer Building, often the site of exhibitions and displays of a nautical or marine slant. I took a short walk to the Schaefer Building to see a current exhibit called “Over Life’s Waters: The coastal Art Collection of Charles and Irene Hamm” organized by the New Britain Museum of American Art.

The Hamms have been for half a century collecting coastal art, finding inspiration from Maine to Florida spanning two centuries, and trusting their “eye” to guide their collection of fine art. They have collected 165 pieces. The Seaport presents 65 of these works.

In my opinion, the exhibit should be titled “When Land Meets the Sea and Sky.” The items on display are primarily paintings by men from an era where painting pictures of ships and rocky shoals was a manly art. The lack of female painters does not, however, diminish the quality of the exhibit. It is merely a footnote. I guess men have always been drawn to the sea, and women aboard ships have been considered bad luck. This sentiment is found throughout the exhibit in quotable placards.

Most of the exhibit is oil painting on canvas, and the Hamms show superb taste in the selection. My favorite work in the exhibit is by Jay Hall Connaway called “Fisherman’s Homecoming. This oil painting is typical of Connaway, who painted mainly in Maine and died in 1970 in Arizona. The scene of this work is three women standing on a rocky shore with foreboding skies and gale force winds looking out to sea for a sign of their men returning from their fishing voyage. The prospect of drowning is always part of the lives of fishermen. And the potential loss of life provides the drama in this painting, which is nearly abstract. The painting is memorable because it reflects the peril associated with a life on the sea.

There are a few other paintings in the exhibit that I especially want to single out: “Fort Phoenix – Fairhaven MA” by Charles Henry Gifford. There are great small marine paintings, including two paintings by Jack Banham Coggins, “The Pilot” and “Cleaning the Catch.” “Swampscott Dory” by William Partridge Burpee is also a favorite.

The 65 paintings create a unified theme so one can find a collection of coastal marine art without having to travel far from home. And while the drafting is mainly masculine, we can peek into a window of life on the sea and shore when men on the eastern seaboard had to earn a living and contend with foul weather and at times brutal hardships.

Whatever town you hail from, get up and go to Mystic Seaport where there is always something to see and do and fine art to admire. The best deal is a family membership, and you could go every day or even better, sign on as a volunteer. You must enter Mystic Seaport to gain access to the Schaefer Art Museum. The exhibit runs through Jan. 16.

Phil Houk of Montville is a former submariner, UConn graduate, and retired field service technician. He can be reached at plhouk@atlanticbb.net