Mark Perrin, 63, a painter who lived in Coupeville for 10 years, died Sept. 26, 2002, in Florida.

He was born May 15, 1939. Mr. Perrin’s paintings sold nationwide and celebrated the images of the South Seas. Ed Nordin, a friend of Perrin, described him as a “magnetic, Hemingwayesque figure.” Nordin said Perrin was always friendly and kind, welcoming people of all ages and walks of life to his studio to view his paintings and hear his stories of life on the southern seas.

Mr. Perrin’s traveling companion, Jessica Delmonico, said he had an uncanny ability “to immediately befriend people on airplane flights, bars, parties, even on the streets.”

“For over 30 years, we shared adventures and misadventures,” said another friend, Donald Yakovic. “They are all in his paintings.”

“He painted colorful birds flourishing against sunny skies,” Nordin said, “tropical fish swimming above red coral, with sailing ships and mermaids. He painted in a whimsical childlike manner like his inspiration, the French painter Henry Rousseau, tempered by intelligence and sophistication.”

Perrin is survived by a son, Brian; two sisters, Susan and Peggy; two brothers, John and Jason; and a grandson, Hudson Finn.