Art Inspiration at Maple Cove

serves as one of the few remaining vestiges of public water access and natural shoreline remaining in Red Bank, a town where waterfront access is often restricted to a . 

It's also got one heck of a view.

On Monday, a couple of plein air painters took the small path from the entrance of the tiny waterfront open space at the base of Maple Avenue to the shore for a view of the Navesink River.  

With portable easels and trays of acrylic paint, Caroline Klein, of Somerset, and Kathleen Beausoleil, of Fair Haven, painted views of the shoreline, the river and the sailboats anchored in the middle. The women, members of the Plein Air Painters of the Jersey Coast, or PAPJC, regularly take trips to various points throughout the state to fulfill the group's mission of exploring the beauty of the outdoors.

The group will hold an art show and benefit on Aug. 18 at Monmouth Beach Bath and Tennis Club.