Rhode Island painter Maxwell Mays dies

Maxwell Mays, whose paintings of Rhode Island landmarks made him one of the state’s favorite artists, died Monday at the age of 91, the Providence Journal reported.

A family spokesman said the artist died at his home in Coventry.  He had been ill for the past few years.

Mays’s career spanned 60 years. He captured Rhode Island life in paintings of small towns and the big city of Providence.

In a 2004 story, NBC 10 reported that Mays was leaving 300 acres of his Coventry property to the Audubon Society as a public refuge.