M/V Monhegan...

I’ve been painting in Rockland a lot this spring, and I’ve been finding a lot of interesting subject matter in the working waterfront. The subject of the painting above grabbed my attention for the way the blues of the boat played off of warm shadows and sometimes created a vibration. I also like how busy this image is; the way your eye can bounce all over the canvas finding little moments of interest.

Red Umbrellas...

I was reading one of my favorite art blogs, Two Coats of Paint, and came across an interesting post. It’s about an art show/event where, as blogger Sharon Butler says,  “artists William Powhida and Jennifer Dalton had turned the gallery into a ‘think tank’ for guest artists, critics, academics, dealers, collectors, and anyone else interested in examining the way art is made, seen, and sold in our culture……. a new community emerged in which putatively voiceless members of the art community, rather than merely ranting about the lack of career options at the local bar, projected more considered and purposeful opinions in a larger dialogue.” I really like the sound of this and wish I could have sat in and listened to some of the discussions.

The painting above is about 30×36″. It was a studio project this past winter, using photos and studies to do this larger painting.

Art Events in Rockland...

I’m spending a lot of time painting by the water these days. This is a painting I did last week in Rockport Harbor. I apologize for the glare on the image, but you can get a good idea of the painting. I really like how this painting is balanced, between the boat and the mooring balls on the hillside in the background. There’s also a balance between the shadowy weight of the boat, and the warm light bouncing around on the mooring balls. This painting is 16×20″, oil on canvas.

Also I want to let people know about a lecture series coming up at the Farnsworth Rt Museum in Rockland, that I’m really looking forward to. It’s a weekly series about American Art, starting next Wednesday. There is also a Pecha Kucha night at the Lincoln Street Center for the Arts in Rockland this Friday. Lots to do!

Maine Home + Design...

When I was painting with my friend Dan last year we saw these fuel tanks and he correctly pointed out that they looked like something I would want to paint. It took me a few months to get to it, but I did. This painting is from two weeks ago, and it’s 11×14″.

The magazine Maine Home + Design has an art issue each April. This art issue calls me one of the up and coming artists in the area. If you haven’t seen this publication, they put out a beautiful product. It’s worth checking out. My friend Cig Harvey has had photos on the cover the last few months, and this months cover photo is really fun. She is a great photographer with some really fun and quirky images.  Maine Home + Design also has a sister publication, Maine magazine, which is another good one to look for.

LL Bean Catalog...

This is another painting from my trip to Hawaii. Its an 11×14″ oil on panel.

I just heard that LL Bean has used an image of mine on the cover of their summer catalog. I knew they were thinking about it, but I didn’t want to bank on it until I saw the catalog was actually out. If you get the catalog you should check it out. It’s a painting of Camden harbor from four or five years ago.

Funniest Little Church in Maui...

I got a kick out of the sign on the roof of this church every time I drove by. I finally got around to painting it on my last day in Hawaii. It was a really fun subject, and a nice light hearted painting to end the week on. This was painted on a piece of loose linen taped to a board. I’m guessing the size is about 10″ square.

Also on the fun side of things, you should check out this video on you tube. My friend and fellow painter, Jessica, sent me this link and it cracked me up. I was watching the video trying to name as many artists as I could. If you can also name the painting being acted out then you get a bonus point. I love this thing!

Maui Mountains...

“West Maui Mountains” 11×14″

I painted this scene on my way home from painting in Makawao. I was exhausted and heading back to Lahaina, but this view was so striking I had to pull off the highway and do a quick painting of the fading light. I haven’t had much experience painting mountains, so I was really excited, and challenged by painting the huge masses of the mountains and the way the light rakes across them.

Rules for Writing/Painting...

“West Maui Evening” 6×8″

This was the first painting I did when I got to Maui. This was a quick one I did to loosen up a bit before the plein air event started the next morning.

Listening to a Slate magazine podcast the other day I heard some fun bits of advice to writers. The podcast hosts were discussing an article from the Guardian, in which writers give advice on writing. Much of the advice is really just about how to be a creative person, and seemed fitting to my experience painting. Below are some bits that I liked, or you can link to the Guardian article and read the whole lists from the writers. Read both part 1 and part 2

The first 12 years are the worst.

Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

Style is the art of getting yourself out of the way, not putting yourself in it.

Keep a light, hopeful heart. But ­expect the worst.

A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.

Do it every day. Make a habit of putting your observations into words and gradually this will become instinct. This is the most important rule of all and, naturally, I don’t follow it.

Painting in Maui...

Finally home and settled in, I have some images to share from my trip to Maui. I was in Hawaii for the Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational. The show was great. I loved painting in Hawaii and I loved spending time with so many great painters. At the end of the week we all hung our paintings and I was really impressed. I’ve got a few paintings here to start with and I’ll post more when I can, but these were some of my favorites from the week.

14×11″ This painting was done during a sunset paint out with really strong winds and lots of people around watching. Somehow I managed to relax during this event and get a painting that I really liked. Palm trees are really fun to include in a composition because of the way they break up the background/sky, and they have some interesting color things that happen along the trunk and in the branches.

14×11″ This painting was hard to photograph, but I think I got a decent shot of it here. This pagoda is part of a buddhist temple on the beach in Lahaina. This scene grabbed me because of the rich reds in the temple playing off the warm greens in the palms. I also like the way the three palms echo play off the three levels of the pagoda, and the balancing of the vertical and horizontal elements.

11×14″ Makawao is a town on the way up to the top of Haleakala. Makawao is also called cowboy town, because of the cattle ranches around it. I love the way the blues were all working together in this scene. I think the teal truck parked in the foreground brought the whole painting together. And the street running through town feels like a funky town with a lot going on.

11×14″ This shack is directly across the street from where I painted the image above, with the teal truck. There are plenty of fun little run down buildings scattered around, but this one stood out for having so much character, and being right there on the edge of town… the first building people will see on their way into Makawao.

11×14″ Painting this scene felt like a mix of hawaiian scenery, and what I know from home in Maine. I love painting backlit harbors, and I always like the way the red of a stop sign jumps out at a viewer and makes them pause for a second in the image. This scene also has the tall island of Lanai in the background and the two great palm trees to shake things up with their warm, rich greens.

I’ll post more images from this trip when I have time.