A Plein Air Painter's Blog - Michael Chesley Johnson: Painting Retreat: Lubec, Maine

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Painting Retreat: Lubec, Maine - Wrap-up

My work-in-progress on-location at Quoddy Head State Park

We just finished up a great week at this year's Lubec, Maine, plein air painting retreat. Based at West Quoddy Station, a beautifully-restored and -renovated US Coast Guard life-saving station, the retreat visited painting locations on both sides of the border. We painted for two days at Quoddy Head State Park, where we had one day of gorgeous sun and another of soft fog. The Roosevelt-Campobello International Park saw us for two days where we had sun and -- you guessed it -- more fog. (I love fog. It simplifies shapes, softens edges and makes nearby colors seem more saturated.) Another day we painted the buildings of the historic McCurdy smokehouse complex in Lubec, where the swift Fundy tide challenged us as it raced from low tide to high.

Curious to know the week's schedule? We started off with a meet-and-greet on Sunday evening, where we discussed the schedule and possible painting locations. Some of us painted afterward, whereas others went out for groceries for the week or got dinner. (The Station has full kitchens and cookware, making it easy to eat together if the group wants.) Then, each morning began with a critique of the previous day's work, followed by our morning excursion. I did three demonstrations during the week. I also invited participants to join me wherever I painted to either paint along or to treat it as another demo. After the morning session, some of us would join for lunch at one of the local restaurants. In the afternoons, most of us painted some again, while a few went off with family or friends to explore. (Participants were welcome to bring a non-painting friend.) All in all, it was a very rich experience for everyone with lots of sharing.

We had such a wonderful time that I'm looking forward to doing this again next year, August 11-16, 2019. If you're interested in joining us, let me know right away, and I'll send you details when I finalize them. Most of the participants this year have already signed on for 2019. Space is limited!