Serene Lincoln has been making art ever since they could hold a pencil , which is just about as long as they ’ ve been coming to the Cumberland Monastery . So when an art professor said to paint whatever they liked , the town resident was naturally drawn to the peaceful enclave . “ It just seemed like the natural progression for me ,” says Lincoln , who graduated with a BFA in painting and printmaking from Rhode Island College last fall . They ’ d set up watercolors and an easel on the trails — preferring the quieter routes near the back of the property lined with Eastern hemlocks — in all sorts of weather and light . The more they painted the more they wanted to learn about the history of the space , which housed Cistercian monks from 1902 until a fire destroyed most of the church and guest house in 1950 . They leafed through old newspaper accounts , scoured the web and read Through Faith & Fire , a book about the order ’ s history . “ I just fell down a rabbit hole ,” Lincoln says . “ The way the Cistercian monks lived and existed day to day was really , really captivating and beautiful to me .” Using that research , they created black-and-white prints depicting daily life at the monastery , with monks praying , tending to the apple orchard and caring for their oxen . Lincoln is currently looking at grad schools to further their painting and printmaking practice , and is grateful for all the time they ’ ve had in this soothing space . “ I really feel like I got to know this place in such an intimate way when I was young , and it ’ s only been able to grow more since then .” — DANA LAVERTY

IMAGE COURTESY OF SERENE LINCOLN .

RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l AUGUST 2023 21