ON MARSHES, IN STUDIOS, SOMETIMES IN CONVERTED GARAGES, and--of course--on beaches, artists in our visually rich part of the world create something memorable every day.

Wellfleet's Walter Dorrell chooses a canoe as his favorite place to paint. For the last 25 years, Dorrell has risen before dawn to capture the stunning beauty of the world coming to light in his luminous watercolor paintings. Maryalice Eizenberg also finds inspiration en plein air on the marshes and beaches of Chatham, braving autumn winds, late spring chill, and even no-see-ums to render the landscape with evanescent mystery.

At Falmouth's town dump, the The Pick of the Litter section is where Phyllis Hartley can be found, searching for old shutters, bits of rusted machinery, and other "treasures" that she fashions into works of art.

Some might say that the grandest artist's aerie of all on Cape Cod is the solitary outpost on a sand dune in South Truro built by Edward Hopper in 1934. To many painters, this place would be heaven on earth. In fact, it is for Philip Koch, profiled in this edition, who has spent part of nearly every other summer since 1983 painting in Hopper's studio.

Of the nearly 40 artists profiled in this inaugural issue of ART of the Cape & Islands, perhaps none is more inspirational to us this summer than the man who painted the glimmering seascape on our cover. For decades, he has looked to his heart to try and make the world a better place.

Who knew that, from the porch of his beloved home in Hyannisport, Senator Edward Kennedy also could see the glory spread out all around him with an artist's eye.

We would like to thank the senator for sharing his art with us--it is a gift that gives the launching of our 30th anniversary arts magazine a very special glow.

And lastly, to Walter, Maryalice, Phyllis, Philip--and our senator--as well as the dozens of other artists in this issue, we say thank you for capturing our cherished place with talent, intelligence, and awareness. You are all the keepers of our memories, no matter where your art happens.

 Susan Dewey,

Editor, ART of the Cape & Islands, sdewey@capecodlife.com