Artist Spotlight: Justine Palkowski
Meet the Artist
Justine Palkowski is a fine artist and the creative force behind Second Shore, a body of work inspired by coastal and lakeside landscapes. She has been creating art her entire life, studying AP Art in high school and Studio Art in college, before building a career that balances painting, teaching, and running a successful creative business.
Alongside her work as an artist, Justine teaches local art classes and continues to grow her studio practice. Working primarily in acrylic, she is drawn to the way light and color shift across water and sky. Her paintings are meant to bring viewers to the shoreline and offer a sense of clarity and calm through familiar, grounding scenes.
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Artistic Style & Inspiration
Justine’s work is atmospheric and coastal-inspired, with a focus on seascapes and reflective water scenes. She builds her paintings in layers to create depth and movement across the surface.
At the heart of her work is a desire to slow things down. Her paintings invite viewers to sit with the scene, take it in, and notice the details that often get overlooked along the water’s edge.
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Where Her Inspiration Comes From
The Great Lakes and Finger Lakes have shaped much of Justine's works, reflecting landscapes she has returned to again and again throughout her life.
She is also greatly influenced by the Lowcountry in Charleston, South Carolina, where she lived for many years and hopes to return one day. These environments inform both her subject matter and palette, from the pastel skies of Charleston to the blues and silvers found along northern lakes. For Justine, these places are not just backdrops. They shape the feeling each painting carries.
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A Favorite Piece
One of Justine’s favorite works is a painting titled Summer. The piece features a sunset seascape accented with gold leaf, capturing the balance between energy and ease. The colors feel bright without being overwhelming, reflecting the type of evening where everything feels just right.
For Justine, the painting represents how a single moment can hold both motion and rest, much like time spent by the water at the end of a long summer day.
Summer
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Quick Favorites
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Favorite color to paint with: Ultramarine blue
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Favorite place for inspiration: Her family cottage, where mornings on the dock reveal glassy water and gentle ripples. She also draws inspiration from Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, and Kiawah Beachwalker.
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Favorite art supply: Painter’s tape, which she uses to create crisp horizon lines that anchor many of her pieces.
Isle of Palms
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Connect with Justine
Follow Justine on Instagram at @secondshore to see her latest work and what she’s creating next.
You can also explore her art source profile at The Green Room at 831.