"I feel comfortable here. Like I’ve been here before."



American artist Thayer Carter runs a Newfoundland flag up a small wooden flagpole in front of Kent Cottage in Brigus.

It's a wooden structure that has a storied history, thanks to its connections to legendary U.S. painter and illustrator Rockwell Kent, Carter's grandfather, who was drawn to the rugged landscapes and coastlines.

Carter is the Landfall Trust's artist-in-residence at Kent Cottage this summer, and this is his first trip to Newfoundland and Labrador.

As he gets the flag up he’s thinking about his beloved grandmother, Kathleen.

This photo from 1914 shows Kathleen Kent with her children, Kathleen, Clara and Rockwell, in Brigus. (Courtesy Kent/Whiting family) Post image on Pinterest: This photo from 1914 shows Kathleen Kent with her children, Kathleen, Clara and Rockwell, in Brigus. (Courtesy Kent/Whiting family)

This photo from 1914 shows Kathleen Kent with her children, Kathleen, Clara and Rockwell, in Brigus. (Courtesy Kent/Whiting family)

Carter points to an overgrown area of bushes, just below the long veranda extending across the length of the cottage and overlooking Brigus harbour.



“I see some of her work here. Over the ledge here was this walled in area. And that was her garden area. I look over wall here and I see that. I almost see her,” he said.

“Her presence is very much in this place, just as much as Rockwell.”