Clark Greenwood Voorhees is often credited with co-founding the Old Lyme art colony with his friend Henry Ward Ranger (1858-1916). Legend has it that Voorhees discovered the area while passing through on a bike ride from New York. He returned to Old Lyme in 1896 and stayed at the Bacon House (later renamed the Ferry Tavern) while his mother and sister stayed at Miss Florence’s boarding house. It was thought Voorhees recommended the boarding house to Ranger, who after staying at Miss Florence’s decided it would be a perfect place for his vision of an American Barbizon.

This exhibition was eagerly anticipated since few of Voorhees paintings had come to the market having been held safe in the collections of the artist’s descendents. Jennifer C. Krieger, Managing Partner of Hawthorne Fine Art, writes of her attraction to the artist's lyrical landscapes in the exhibition catalog foreword:

"It is with a true love of Voorhees' unique style that this exhibition was born, a love for the flickering of light, the rich softness of color, and the rippling of texture, all inherent in his touch. While Impressionist pictures often seem most effective when viewed from afar, I urge the viewer of Voorhees' works to inspect them closely and appreciate their tactile delicacy, the warp and woof of the artist's imagination."

Large impressionist landscapes illustrate Voorhees’ infatuation with the marshes, hills and foliage in and around Old Lyme, situated at the mouth of the Connecticut river. It is only fitting that the exhibition comes back to Connecticut, to Old Lyme and therefore, The Cooley Gallery.