A New York-based couple celebrated a key anniversary recently with the purchase of a painting put up for auction by an island school.

Susan Yarin and her husband, Larry Peim, were on their eighth trip to the island last month when they bought the art in a fundraiser for Mount Saint Agnes Academy.

The couple, from Hartsdale, New York, arrived on the island on board the cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse on May 29 and are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary this month.

While in Hamilton, Ms Yarin’s attention was drawn to a piece on show in a Front Street café.

She explained: “The day we arrived, on our way to St George’s, we stopped in Hamilton, where I first saw the little painting on the wall of Brew, a favourite of ours.”

Ms Yarin added: “There was just something about the painting that ‘spoke to me’ — vibrant colours, a sense of peace and a reminder of how we love sitting on any bench in Bermuda and looking at the water.”

A spokeswoman at Mount St Agnes Academy said the school had placed 39 artworks by alumni, teachers and pupils on display for the auction at Brew.

The sale was done online via the MSA website.

Ms Yarin said after she saw the painting, she asked staff at the café if it was for sale.

She explained: “They told me it was part of an auction.

“That evening, we returned to Hamilton to go to Harbour Nights. I stopped in at Brew for coffee and the painting was still calling out to me.”

The following day, Ms Yarin visited Hamilton to shop and went to the café yet again; she was determined to buy the art.

She added: “They again pointed me to the auction website, which I finally visited and put in a bid.

“I was happy that payment meant helping Mount St Agnes.”

Ms Yarin e-mailed the school to see if the painting could be shipped to New York if she won the bid.

She received a prompt response and was given contact information for the artist.

They exchanged e-mails, spoke on the phone and made arrangements for the painting’s uplift.

Ms Yarin, who submitted an offer of $90 for the piece, said: “I was able to provide my bid on the spot and to personally meet the artist.”

She and her husband first visited Bermuda in 2003 for their honeymoon cruise.

She said: “We’ve loved coming back, every time.”

Ms Yarin added: “I was thrilled. The painting is really beautiful and we love it.

“I also love the story behind how we got it.”