Artist Mary Ann E. Rousseau’s first spoken word was not "boat," but it most likely made her top 10.

When she was five, the Westport resident remembers seeing models and pictures of clipper ships in stores. As her parent’s shopped, she would say the word whenever she spotted one.

Rousseau, a Marion Art Center member, said today she takes inspiration from ships.

“They symbolize, for me, the fate and chance of sailing as a man risks being tossed around in the wind,” she said. “It goes beyond the boat being just being a beautiful object.”

Rousseau’s oil painting “Morning Brilliance” is now on display at the Marion Art Center’s summer show. The painting shows sailboats in a protected harbor as sails rise to meet a cloud-cluttered sky.

Entering work in the exhibition was for members only, but anyone is welcome to view the artwork.

This summer, the show featured a theme for the first time, said Executive Director Deborah Bokelkamp. Members were invited to submit two pieces for the exhibition titled “Art on the Water,” which ends Sept. 28. Bokelkamp said there are more than 75 pieces that depict waterfronts in a variety of mediums.

On Aug. 23, the show held its opening reception. Two member shows are held each year. The second occurs in winter.

For Rousseau, this was the first time she entered a piece in the show. An attorney by trade, she began painting five years ago alongside her identical twin sister. The two started after becoming frustrated when searching for artwork to hang above her sister’s couch.

“We said ‘let’s go to the art shows’ and came back thinking ‘hmm, too expensive.’ So we said let’s get some canvas and paint,” Rousseau said. After that, they began painting at home and bought books to learn different techniques.

As she advanced, Rousseau sought lessons from Cape Cod artist Robert Abele at the Robert Addison Gallery in Orleans. She has also studied under Robert Gruppe, an oil painter based in Gloucester.

She enters her work in as many shows as she can. As a busy attorney, she said she always finds time to paint.

“Painting is my stress release,” she said.

While this is Rousseau’s first art center show, Marion resident Sharlie Sudduth has returned to submit her painting “Fish Beach on Monhegan.”

She took up the craft 17 years ago. “When I retired, I never knew how much fun I was going to have painting,” she said. A longtime art center member, Sudduth exhibited her work at an art center show 10 years ago.

To study, she took classes at the Rhode Island School of Design when she first started. For Sudduth, creating art is a social activity.

“I love to paint with people and I have a lot of fun doing that,” she said. In addition to the art center, she is a member of the Westport Art Group and the Providence Art Club.

Sudduth takes her inspiration from landscapes and paints outside when the weather is warm. Her artwork is also on display in the Elizabeth Taber Library this month.

The Marion Art Center is located at 80 Pleasant St. Marion. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, 508-748-1266 or visit www.marionartcetner.org.