Charted Mermaids combines a passion for the sea and a creative mind to deliver inspiring results

Deborah Watson, like sailors and fairy tale lovers alike, dreams of mermaids. She finds inspiration in the natural beauty of the ocean, its changing colors and, most importantly, what lies below. Her passion for imagination combined with her love of the sea has lead her to a unique business venture. In 2002, she started Charted Mermaids, an idea born out of artistic intention and frequent trips to the sea. Watson now spends her days creating carefully crafted cards out of nautical charts, featuring hand-painted mermaids.

“I was always a boater,” she says, “and one day I looked at a chart and just thought, ‘I should paint a mermaid on this.’” The concept is simple enough, but it’s one that takes time, dedication, and a lot of patience. Every piece is different, no two mermaids the same. Each work of art is uniquely crafted straight from Watson’s creative mind, and they make spectacular additions to anything from walls and refrigerators to desks and mantels.

Watson takes weekly art classes to keep up with her passion. “I love art, and I’m always painting,” she says. Her Charted Mermaids collection is a venture that clearly takes a lot of heart, and, because of that, her pieces bring warmth to any room and enjoyment to any home. “It makes me feel good that people love my art,” says Watson, whose designs can be framed or sent as cards. Just as the designs are rooted in fluidity, so too are their applications. Whatever the case, Watson hopes that people will look at her artwork and think of someone special, or simply see a piece of themselves.

“I love the colors of the sea,” says Watson, a native Cape Codder, “and I love Cape Cod. I’m inspired by the beaches and the flowers all around.” Watson flawlessly captures her devotion to the Cape and merges it with the fairy tales of her childhood. Fantasies of fishermen being entranced by beautiful, singing mermaids and mastheads of pirate ships featuring revered ladies with powerful tails instead of legs are the types of images that Watson draws from, and she puts these fantasies into a Cape setting, making them not only attention grabbing but also personal.

“Each map is different, be it in Buzzards Bay or Wareham. Every coast is different, from Nantucket to Martha’s Vineyard and Falmouth all the way up to Dennis. I know why people visit Cape Cod in the summer now,” she says, laughing.

A serene spring cruise along the coastline of Cape Cod makes it abundantly clear why Watson draws inspiration from this special place. “The ocean is beautiful,” she says, and if you’re lucky, you might just see a mermaid.

Charted Mermaids • 774-238-1713 • shop.capecodlife.com