Between Vermont and Maine
Track and Shack pen and ink 6" X 8"
While living in Vermont I made several trips back and forth to Portland, in order to faciliiate my move back to Maine. There are several different routes available, all of which pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The structure in this picture sits next to the narrow gauge railroad that runs alongside Highway 302 as it passes through Crawford Notch. It is some sort of structure related to the railroad, but I do not know quite what the function of this building is. The tracks were laid in the 1800's to carry ore out of the mountains, but today the main cargo are tourists from North Conway wanting to get a spectacular view of the White Mountains from Crawford Notch.
View from the Mountain
Camels" Hump from Stowe, VT pastel 4' X 6"
New England is filled with numerous mountain ranges, seperated by spectacular valleys. Eventually my hiking explorations lead me west into New Hampshire and Vermont. I stayed in Vermont for two years working at the ski resorts in the winter and on a farm during the summertime. Both occupations were good for taking a little time to view and study the mountains. However, if I wanted time to explore the surrounding countryside, I had to wait for my day off, when I could take my pastels and watercolors and head out into the forests.
View from the Long Trail pastel 10" X 12"
In my opinion painting from the mountaintop is a worthwhile investment of time.
All you need is a backpack, some good hiking boots, lots of drinking water and whatever art supplies that you deem necessary for the excursion. I prefer the pastels such as oil pastels or soft pastels, as you can work directly into your sketchbook without having to use water or any other medium for that matter.
Once you have made it to your lofty perch, the main obstacle you will have is to begin work on your drawing or painting. It is best to allow for a lot of time on the summit, so you can spend ample time taking in the view. Upon commencement of the actual piece, there will be many interesting aspects of painting that one will encounter. The most noticeable are the changing color hues of the distant landscape and getting the proportions correct on the landforms.
View from Pleasant Mtn. oil pastel 8" X 10"
Once you have launched yourself headway into the painting process, the challenges and rewards will be many. Most noticeable will be the wide range of color changes that the image goes through as your eye progresses from the brilliant greens and yellows of the foreground to the the deep blues and purples of the background. The result is definately worth the effort.
Just Another Droodle
Crazy pen and ink 8" X 10"
My mind is really in a foul mood today, so I decided to post this abstracted black and white drawing. I did a lot of these, actually to keep my mind from raging out of control too much. This particular manner of drawing and painting is commonly referred to as painting something "out of your head", which is not to be confused with being out of your mind.
How To Get Rejected from Annuals, Biennials and Triennials
TV Set Still Life watercolor 11" X 15"
This is favorite image for getting rejected from juried art shows. I have used it a half a dozen times and it has succeeded every time. I even placed it in an art auction, one where I had been successful in the past and voila! - another rejection. I guess I could put in my own private Salon des Refuses; perhaps I will keep that idea for future use.
Recently, I went to see the local Biennial currently being exhibited at the nearby Art Museum. Since I had nothing at stake personally, I thought I would enjoy the show more than if I had submitted work to the jury. This was not the case; as far as I was concerned the show was not very inspiring. My thoughts went back to the previous Biennial at the same institution, which to my recollection was a very good show. I was happy to be rejected from that show. (well almost)
Over the years I have seen many such juried shows of local or regional talent, varying in quality ranging from awful to pretty good, at least in my opinion. The really remarkable shows, the ones that stick in your mind for a long time have been outside the venue of juried art salons.
A Summer Painting
Lighthouse and Flowers
Maine has a summer, and sometimes we even have a hot summer. If the rest of the season continues to be like the past week, we could be in for a real scorcher, for the last seven days have been unseasonbly hot.
After posting the winter scene during last weeks' hot weather, I decided to use this somewhat whimsical watercolor that tries to catch the summers' sunshine and the resulting flowers. Lighthouses are kind of a passe` item among contemporary artists, but I decided to attack this subject with an unusal perspective and point of view. Perhaps this painting works, perhaps not- but it does underscore the importance lighthouses play in the Maine landscape and also it illustrates the attempts painters have made to depict this icon of coastal New England.
Speaking of lighthouses, one of the regional supermarket chains recently sponsored a contest where 200 artists were chosen to paint a ten foot tall plastic replica of a lighthouse. Most chose to depict an aquatic scene, and thus set about the challenge of covering a cylindrical object with a painted scene that could be viewed from all angles. I have to admit at that point in time the plastic lighthouses looked sort of intriquing with all the different displays of sailboats, lobsters, seagulls and whatever else fancied the artist' mind. Now, a year or two later after each individual ten foot light has been purchased and placed on permament display by participating businesses, I am starting to wonder if it was such a great idea, though I haven't heard any complaints from the tourists.
Cool Picture for a Hot Day
Ice Fishing in America pen and ink 8" X 10"
Summer has hit Maine like a runaway train. After a downright cold and rainy spring, we are now experiencing some very hot and humid weather, something most everybody up here is not used to. With temperatures approaching 90, people in the Pine Tree state, me especially, are overwhelmed by the heat and humidity.
To counteract this fahrenheit explosion, I thought I would post a wintertime picture to soothe the mind at least. Summertime is meant to be hot and sweaty, and it looks like we are in for a good one in those regards. Time to go, I gotta hit the beach.
The Life Drawing
Blue Nude pastel 9" X 12"
Life drawing groups are a very interesting social phenomen and a very good way to improve your drawing skills. One day while purchasing some paint at the local art supply store, I saw a note on the bulletin board announcing the ongoing meeting of a local group at the nearby state college. I called the number, spoke with a very pleasant young man and ended up attending the drawing sessions frequently over the next two years.
From my presence at this group and several other groups both in Maine and New Mexico, I will attempt to shed some light on this unique and commonplace meeting of artists and the model. For the most part the artists are male, and the model female, but there are always a few women drawing and an occasional male model. When a male model arrives the men often complain, but the women seem welcome to the change. Women also seem to be a little bit more comfortable working with models of their own sex than do the men. However, the men usually quietly perservere knowing that next weeks' model will most likely - again be a woman.
There seems to be one or two males in each group who really excel at the art of drawing naked people. Of course, they attend every session and the time and effort put in really does show. In one such group in New Mexico the group leader was a muscle bound young man who had some of the best draftmanship I have seen; a combination I would not have thought possible. Still the groups are quiet affairs, where both artists and model show a high degree of concentration.
A certain comradrie develops between the drafters, as well as between the model and artisans. Some groups can last a long time, for I know of one group run by a woman that lasted twenty years. The bottom line is that your drawing skills will improve if you spend any amount of time with one of these groups. I usually tried to render the model as closely as possible to what I saw; but the above drawing, one of my favorites, is an example when I got ouside the parameter.
Getting Real
The White Barn watercolor 7" X 11"
Working oudoors in Maine, sooner or later you will have to come to terms with the work of the Wyeths. This watercolor of a barn near Freeport is about as close as I got in trying to paint in the super realistic style, made popular by the Wyeths' and so prominent in New England. I have visited the Farnsworth Art Museum and greatly enjoyed viewing the many paintings displayed by W.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. The marvelous draftmanship of these artists are so well complemented by a dark and introspective underlying nature, that the viewer is often left spellbound.
The body of work that lead up to this painting and the actual watercolor itself is not meant as imitation, although there is some flattery going on here. Instead it was a process of discovery for me. By venturing down this road, I was not only able to improve my drafting and perception skills, but also incorporate realistic rendering into my work.
The Lake Country of Maine
Moose Pond and Pleasant Pond
For someone delving into plein aire painting, the lake country of western Maine was a visual gold mine of oppurtunity. Over the first several years, when I lived only a few miles from Sebago Lake in the town of Windham, I was able to develop a small body of work that I felt good about. There is something quite exhilerating about the juxtaposition of lakes nestled between mountains, which I tried to capture with watercolor on paper. You can judge for yourself how successful I was with these two paintings.
Autumn on Sebago watercolor 9" X 11"
Journey to Maine
Portland Head Light watercolor 7" X 11"
In the summer of 1995 made the big trip from New Mexico to Portland, Maine where I have lived ever since. In the process of my travels in that spring and summer, I visited 37 different states. To make a long story short I visited Maine twice, once in July to visit my family vacationing along the coast and again in September, where I quickly landed a constuction job and thus became a state resident.
This painting was done several years after arriving in Maine, but it shows my attempt to come to terms with the landmarks and natural beauty of my new home. I my first efforts here in the pine tree state were with watercolors, and I even showed a few times at some street shows, but without much success.
Pocahontas Light 4" X 6" watercolor
Here is another small watercolor of a lighthouse in Casco Bay, called the Pocahontas Light. It is located only a few miles offshore and is easily visible from the Portland Head Lighthouse. This light is no longer in use.
Storm Clouds at Two Lights 11" X 15" watercolor
Yet another lighthouse painting, the location here being the Two Lights at Cape Elizabeth just south of Portland. This structure sits on a little jutty of land that sticks out into Casco Bay. I choose to paint the light from a viewpoint that showed no water, giving a slightly unreal quality to the picture. After painting lighthouses for a while, I ventured onto other subjects and places. I still return to the subject now and then, even though it is just a little out of style and not very vogue.
Fort Worden, Port Townsend, Washington
House at Fort Worden pen and ink 5" X 8''
On one of my journeys' to the west coast, I ended up spending a week at the hostel in Fort Worden State Park seeking solitude and relaxation. I was in great need of rest after having spent a wild week in Seattle drinking, partying and avoiding fights. I was in much need of a quiet, peaceful place for a while and old military barracks and fort provided the perfect place.
Shown here is a black and white drawing of one of the nicer houses on the old military base. It is an unusual but attractive blend of castle and house. It is one of favorite drawings from my travel around the west.
