Winter Wonders

This region is beautiful in all seasons...even on a cold January day we find the fields, woods and rivers breathtaking and sometimes surprising in the most subtle ways.

The Chandler River meanders through our town and empties into the Royal River which eventually dumps into Casco Bay in Yarmouth about ten miles away. Part of the Chandler follows the road just a mile from our house and is the site of an old dam. A grist mill operated there more than a century and a half ago. None of the antique building remains but it must have been a busy place when farmers from the surrounding area brought crops to be processed.

In spring the dam is raging with melted ice waters that rush down from Runaround Pond just a few miles to the north.

In summer the dam is frequented by local fisherman, young and old alike, who are hoping to hook a brook trout, perch or other small freshwater fish. My youngest son dropped his wormed lines there many times as a kid and proudly brought his trophies home to show us. Most of the little critters were too small to eat so they were carefully released into our farm pond.

Today during our walk with Koda we stopped to watch the water tumbling over the dam as we have a thousand times before. The dams action had produced perfectly round icebergs with slightly turned up edges that looked just like pond lilies...only made of ice. The swirling water must've given them their shape. If I had painted them accurately..it might not be believed.

Tomorrow the bitter temps are due rise above freezing and so the icy rondelles will melt away, but I have photos and proof of the winter lilies floating in the sun..

Blueberry Field - Friendship in the Fall

In a previous blog I mentioned our trip up the coast. One of our destinations was through a small unspoiled fishing village called Friendship.
It sits at the end of a peninsula just east of Waldoboro. Friendship is very much a working community and the lobster boats were still moored just off the main dock in their well protected harbor. The lobster season was winding down, traps were being pulled and stacked and summer homes were closed up tight for the winter. Friendship bustles with activity in summer but you'd never know it now. Only the local people remain, holding down the fort during the cold long months of winter until the sun warms the earth and the fishing season begins again.
It's interesting to travel through these parts of Maine when the 'People from away" are gone. The true character of a region remains.
We spotted this blueberry field as we headed northeast out of the village. The stark colorless sky of that afternoon, rich brown tone values and textures of the leaves and ledges were hauntingly beautiful and reminded me so much of Andrew Wyeth's melancholy paintings.
It's hard to believe that this field will brim with sweet juicy blueberries next summer, but the plants are there, hunkered down for the winter, hibernating just like the locals until the frost leaves the ground and life bursts forth again.
This is acrylic on prepared wood panel, size is 11 x 24 and available for purchase.

Birdman Cloud

I'm feeliing guilty because there is a beautiful stockpile of pastels packed away in the studio and they haven't been used in quite awhile. Acrylics have captured my attention, at least for now. Maybe it's because of a too busy schedule and this medium provides instant gratification. This acrylic painting(11 x 14) called 'Evening Clouds', is from a photo I took late this summer. We had some dramatic skies this year due to a weird weather system and this was one of them.

I had to paint it because the darkest cloud formation looked so much like a birdman to me. Nature provides the most interesting images doesn't she? I'll leave the meaning of this shape in the clouds for you to interpret.

I loved the bright yellow white light around the head and wings...couldn't have framed it better myself.

Christmas is just around the corner so there may not be another post until after the holidays.

I wish you and your loved ones the best of everything at Christmas time and a very Happy New Year! Let's hope for peace and prosperity for everyone.

A Taste of Maine

It's fair to say that my landscape paintings are inspired by Maine so I thought this blog would feature the "before" images that may end up in my work.
We took a three day getaway trip to Camden last week and enjoyed a stay at the Windward House B & B on Main St.. Our room was charming and included a private deck that faced the well known landmark, Mt. Battie. The deck was peaceful in the evening as you can see from this shot with the cresent moon overhead. I sat with a glass of wine in the chill air watching the light fade.

We had a mission the next day to check out one of the local wineries, Savage Oakes Farm, in Union. The
weather was sunny and clear so I was able to get photos with good color and shadow along the way. Our digital camera is my sketchbook and invaluable when it comes to capturing scenes for paintings. The second photo is of the blueberry fields we passed by in the town of Hope. The reds, oranges and purples of the leaves stopped us in our tracks! There were several fields like this on our way to the vineyard in Union. Blueberries are big business in Maine.
Savage Oakes Farm is located on top of a hill on a back road. When we arrived, the tasting room was full and in progress so we joined the group(at 11 a.m. on sunday no less). We were surprised at the number of varieties offered and the superb quality. Their grape wines are elegant and very smooth and they offer two blueberry dessert wines that were also quite delicious.. The farm is open to the public so we walked through the fields to see the animals and vineyard. It was astonishing to see blueberry fields flanking the vineyard..who knew these plants could thrive side by side here in Maine. We bought bottles of Rose and White and enjoyed them with our family on Thanksgiving. Both wines were made only with grapes grown on the Savage Farm.
I'll post other photos of this trip in another blog featuring scenes of detours to places neither of us had visited before(even though my husband is a native!). So much to see..so little time.

Some of these images will show up in future paintings ..maybe you'll recognize a few.

Autumn Tapestry - Campobello

Several years ago Steve and I decided to take a
fall trip to northern Maine. I've written about it in previous blogs. In middle October we headed up the coast and made a late afternoon detour onto Campobello Island in Canada, which is across the bridge from the village of Lubec.
As it turns out it was the last day that the famous summer cottage owned by President Franklin Roosevelt was open to the public. We arrived late and had only a short time to see it all before the staff closed it up for the season. We were surprised at it's unpretentious size and furnishings.....and it's remote location. The cottage is not an easy destination even today, but in Roosevelt's time a ferry had to transport them across the bay because there was no bridge from Lubec to the island. After our hurried tour of the camp we drove around the island knowing there was only about an hour's worth of light left. Except for a few local families who remain there year around the island was deserted. We felt quite alone, but the autumn light cast a beautiful warm glow on everything..it's a spellbinding time of day and season ...and it seemed that we had the whole island to ourselves .
The narrow winding road took us through a little village where we stopped to take photos of this abandoned old farm. It stood precariously close to the road which wound around the corner and up over another hill behind it. The building appeared to be disintegrating into the ground and looked as though it would fall in at any time. We wondered what life had been like there when the place was built long ago. Across the road and out of frame was a cove with an old wharf and a view of Eastport across the bay. The former owners had been fisherman no doubt. Winters there must have been a challenge but just then, at that moment, the spot was lovely and so peaceful...It was easy to understand Roosevelt's affection for a place like this in summer.

Tray Chic-Maine Discovery Museum Auction

The "Tray Chic Auction Catalog" is up and most of the tray tables for the auction are ready for viewing...and bidding. The contributing artists put their hearts and souls into the furniture pieces this year which makes it so hard to choose from but I'm putting my money on two that really strike me.

At the last minute I decided to add my reading glasses to the tray before it was sent off. It's impossible to see much or paint without them, and that includes reading the books that I use for reference painted on the table top... so there you have it....Some of my favorite things.

Check out the other great tables in the catalog...the rest are on their way and will be posted very soon...Pick your favorite and make a bid. It's for a great cause because this museum encourages children of all ages(my age too) to explore and enjoy the world around us. The bidding ends in November with a dinner bash at the museum. Check the site for details.

The table was primed then painted with two coats of a high quality latex. The images were sealed with two coats of an acrylic sealer for protection. I signed the bottom of the tray and the table. Good luck with your bids!

Rise'n Swine

For the Skyline Museum Art Show and Sale this year I asked my carpenter son Eric to build another big bench similar to the one we made for the Maine Discovery Museum last year.
As usual he came through with a beauty made of solid wood. My husband Steve painted the body color corn flower blue then I painted a couple of images to finish it off. ..A true family effort this time. I want the benches to be something the owner will enjoy for a long time so I chose a theme that seemed timeless and slightly whimsical...pigs.
This bench is about 65" high and 32 inches wide. The seat is 23 inches from front to back with plenty of storage underneath for boots, scarves, mittens or other paraphernalia.
The opening reception was last night and judging by the large turnout(and the line of people knocking on the door before the opening time) it was a big success. The museum is open on saturdays from noon - 3 and open by appointment for anyone wanting a private look at other times.