Port Clyde has always been a community known for self-reliance and rugged individualism. Such gifted artists as Robert Henri, Rockwell Kent, and three generations of the N. C. Wyeth family, have all come to Port Clyde on their way out to Monhegan Island, or else settled nearby. The fact that Andrew Wyeth was often seen sketching or painting around town was not lost on the young artist. His uncle, Walter Anderson, was one of Andrew Wyeth's closest friends, and also one of Wyeth's most painted subjects of note.

The painter William Thon, a respected contemporary of Andrew Wyeth (and of whom Andrew Wyeth once said: "If you think my watercolors are good you should see Bill Thon's " ), settled here in the 1940s. Thon, who passed away in 2000 at the age of 94, maintained a close mentorly interest in Oakes' work over the course of many years.

Charles Wilder Oakes takes the long view of his artistic accomplishments in the light of being pretty much an artistic maverick, not so much by choice, but out of conviction. It has been said his artistic heritage is derived to some degree from Folk Art and Niave traditions, Art Brut,  and some might postulate, the so-called "Outsider Art" venue. A case could be made that he is also a visionary artist; he is certainly an artist of vision, continually reaching with-in to do the soul work, so that he can reach out once again with his paintings to his audience. Oakes himself isn't all that inclined to be catagorized. He has been drawing ever since he can remember, and is primarily self-taught.

All of that aside, what it comes down to is whenever Oakes puts his brush to canvas or panel or paper, he chooses to paint only the people, places, and things, he genuinely loves. This commitment to artistic integrity is what those who follow and collect his work have come to expect of the artist, who has steadfastly followed his soulful  muse for over 35 years. His paintings are appealing because they are a blend of both the niave and the lyrically sophisticated at the same time.

In a "typical" Oakes painting you will find all the memorable symbols of his childhood and seafaring heritage " down to Port Clyde." You will find, the main street, the back roads, the Port Clyde General Store, the Baptist and Advent churches, and of course the wharfs, boats, and fishing shanties -- the "working waterfront" of Port Clyde. You'll also often encounter his friends, his family, and all of his beloved "Own Ones" , as well as all the domestic and wild creatures he "daydreamed" about and has since transformed into such memorable paintings as "The Bears in The Village" (1981), and "Wolfs (sic) at the Door" (1989), "Dreams on the Way Home" (1995) "Our Town"(2003), and "Night Air," 2006.