Pairing sculptures of mermaids and dolphins with the defined forms of some of history’s finest sailing vessels is not necessarily an obvious curatorial choice, but it is a winning formula with “Myths of the Sea,” now on exhibit at 26 Burnside St. on the Herreshoff Marine Museum campus.

Truly, this collection of works by sculptor Bonnie Blue and photographer Ed Gifford is more than the sum of its very impressive parts.

Blue is a Reiki master and certified dolphin energy healer who earned her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and studied at the Temple Tyler School of Art in Rome, Italy. Gifford is a photojournalist and sailor with his 100-ton Master Captain’s License. Together, they share studio space at the Herreshoff Marine Museum complex, across Burnside Street from Ambrose Burnside’s 1860 headquarters for his Bristol firearms manufacturing company which later became the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company’s machine shop.

It is in this space where, in the company of historic dinghies and boat forms, Gifford and Blue’s works are brought together seamlessly, her dolphin and mermaid motifs and his enchanted sailing ships, along with some other pieces by Blue’s dual inspirations: her grandmother Hazel Holloway Rentsch and her mentor, the late local sculptor Len Shartle.

Also on display is a model of a submersible built by Blue’s father, Samuel Burton Rentsch to explore the ocean floor. The original, which Rentsch built in the 1970s in the family’s Connecticut backyard, is currently at the South Eastern Connecticut Children's Museum, still teaching people about the ocean floor.

“He was a doctor by trade, but always inventing things that could save lives,” said Blue.

“I love sailing, almost as much as I love making photographs, so creating this exhibit has truly been a labor of love,” wrote Gifford in his artist’s statement. “When I’m out on the water photographing sailing, I’m on the hunt for that elusive, soul-stirring moment when sky, sea, and sailor merge into an image, both timeless and beautiful.”

“I present to you a body of work that represents the myths of the sea,” wrote Blue. “Thank you to my friend and otherworldly photographer, Ed Gifford, who encouraged me to bring my sculptures into the light.”

Myths of the Sea will be on exhibit through September and proceeds from sales will benefit the Herreshoff Youth Sailing Program. For more information, visit Herreshoff.org.