Heading to Rockland and then Castine - Painting the Maine Coast!

Morning Glare
4x12 oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
$175 unframed - Available

I'm about to head down to Rockland, Maine, to teach a workshop for Coastal Maine Art Workshops.  Although I've visited Rockland many times, I've never painted there, so I'm excited to paint this part of the Maine coast.  Even more exciting is the possibility of a day trip to Monhegan Island. Monhegan is legendary among landscape painters because so many well-known artists, including Andrew Wyeth, Rockwell Kent and Edward Hopper, have painted it over the last hundred years.  If you're a last-minute-type person, I do have space left in this workshop.  Click here for details.

After the workshop, I'll be stopping by Castine to judge paintings at the Castine Plein Air Festival.  I've participated as one of the artists the last few years, so it'll be a different experience to see the festival from the other end as a judge.  I'll also be able to reconnect with some painting friends, but I won't, of course, let that influence my judgement.  (There will also be a second judge, Maine artist Jerry Rose.)

I just finished up a workshop in Lubec, Maine, this week.  I've included a few of my demonstration paintings in this post.

Storm over the Cove
5x12 oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
$175 unframed - Available

Summer Marsh
10x10 pastel by Michael Chesley Johnson
SOLD

Castine Plein Air Festival - 3

I just delivered my six paintings to the Student Union at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine.  Above you can see my table.  I'll post photos of the paintings below.  The opening is from 4-6 pm this evening.  If you're in the area, I'd be delighted if you'd come so I can meet you!  It's going to be a big show:  40 painters, 240 paintings.

Just a quick note on the day so far.  After thunder and rain last night, the morning cleared nicely.  I was able to get out and do my selection and framing  en plein air in a shaded spot.  (Plein air isn't limited just to painting; you can frame that way, too.)  I made another painting down by the wharf of the MMA training schooner, Bowdoin.  This painting isn't going into the show, because it's not quite finished yet.

After painting, I had a quick sandwich from the local market and then headed home to finish my paperwork.  Shortly after noon, I delivered my paintings.  Things look good!  I'm looking forward to the 3:30 award announcement.  (I've won in the past here.)

Now the thunder is starting to roll again.  Time for a shower.  More in my next post.

Dyce Head Light 8x10 oil

Lighthouse 6x8 oil

Sultry Morning Schooner (the Bowdoin) 9x12 oil

Evening Roses 9x12 oil

Waiting for Sunset (the Guildive) 9x12 oil

Incoming Weather 12x24 oil

Castine Plein Air Festival - 2

The wind blew much of the night, but by dawn, it had calmed a bit.  When I woke around 2:30, I could see a moon hanging over Castine Bay, telling of clear skies.  I wanted to get out early because I'd read that there was a good chance of thunderstorms.  My sources are three different weather sites (NOAA, WeatherUnderground and Weatherbug), and although they differ, this time they seemed to agree.

I was out at 5 a.m. to catch the sunrise.  Clouds had swept in, making for a beautiful one.  I painted another piece immediately following the first.  Both of these were small (6x8), so after a quick breakfast, I headed out to paint a 12x24 at Wadsworth Cove.  The clouds parted, revealing a good deal of blue sky, but still not wanting to be surprised, I moved on to a fourth painting, a 9x12, finishing all four before lunch.  I think that is a record for me.

In the afternoon, I wanted to spend some quiet time with my paintings in the shade.  I hadn't really taken a good look at them.  I'd finish a painting and throw it in the box, and move on to the next one.  It's always good to do this to get an idea of where you are in the process of building good inventory for the show.  I found I had hit the allotted maximum, which is six for this show.

Still, I decided to do one more.  Five in one day!  That is definitely a record for me.  I don't think I've even painted that many in a day at the Grand Canyon.

By the way, for this trip I wanted to carry 8x10s and 6x8s.  I pulled out my EZPort box from Artwork Essentials.  (http://www.artworkessentials.com/products/ezport/index.htm)  This box can carry a whole assortment of panels.  I'll include some photos below of it as well as shots for the day.

Tomorrow, we can paint in the morning - I plan to, even though I think I have all the paintings I need - and then we need to deliver our six to the show after lunch.  The opening reception is from 4 to 6 pm at the Student Union at the Maine Maritime Academy here in Castine.  I hope to see you there!

Oh - it never did rain.

The EZPort

Many configurations

My palette after the 12x24

Not shipwrecked, just painting.  Painters are easy
to spot in the field because of the umbrella.

Artist Michael Vermette

Castine Plein Air Festival - 1

Castine, Maine, is always pretty at this time of year.  The elm trees are tall and deep green, casting cool shadows over the white clapboard houses.  Sailboats sit sleepily in the bay until the afternoon breeze kicks up, and then they wake, raising sail and heading out.  The town is quieter, too, since the Maine Maritime Academy is out of session for the summer.  You'd hardly know that there are 40 painters here now.

I arrived yesterday after dropping off new work at Argosy Gallery in Bar Harbor.  (See my previous post on that.)   After checking into my lodging, I headed over to the Castine Inn for the "meet'n'greet".  I saw several familiar faces but many new ones, too.  I was talking with one artist who, like me, as been here each year since the festival began, and she thought the mix has been shifting over the years.  Shifting to what, I'm not sure, but it'll be fun to see work by some new artists at the opening on Saturday night.

Threat of a weather change on Friday pushed all of us out early today.  It's been warm (80) and today, muggy, but you never know what the weather will bring.  I think many of us did quite a few paintings today.  I made four:  two 9x12s, one 8x10, and lastly in this diminishing series, one 6x8.  My first one was a scraper, so I did the honorable thing and scraped it, and then made a second attempt, which was more successful. 

This year, I will be focussing on boats.  (Oh, and the Dyce Head Lighthouse.)  I'm not quite ready to share all of today's efforts yet, pending better photographs and a computer screen I can trust (I'm on my Nexus 9 tablet, and the paintings look a little weird), so I will post one or two at the most.  Other than that, here is a series of photos from the day.

I'll write a longer post next time, but for now, enjoy!

Castine Plein Air Festival 2015 - Day 3 and the End

My table at the show.  (A little more space would have been nice so
all the paintings could be displayed upright.)

After yesterday's magnificent thunderstorm, today dawned chilly and overcast. Despite the uninspiring weather, I think all the artists decided to paint till the last second. (Paintings were due to be delivered framed between noon and two.) Although I'd caught my limit of six really good paintings, I, too, felt compelled to go out, despite the rather flat light and uninteresting shadows.

I found a little yellow house on Water Street that I liked. I'd come across it on a walk earlier, and I thought that if we had a grey morning like this one, it would be a good color note. A passerby asked me if I didn't think the colors were more interesting on a grey day; and it's true. Hike in the autumn on a rainy day, for example, and the colors will seem much more intense than when you take that same hike on a sunny day.

This didn't help me, though. Although the painting was competent, it was uninspired. I felt that my paintings this week had an "extra touch" thanks to the beautiful skies Nature had given me. I was very happy with the six I'd chosen, so I didn't feel the need to try yet again. Instead, I had an early lunch at Castine Variety down by the dock. I highly recommend the Thai Curry; the chef said she makes her curry from scratch.

Afterward, I went home to frame. Of the nine paintings I'd made, my choices were obvious. I pulled out the six I loved. By the way, I also tried that rose garden painting in a frame to see how it'd look; I guess I was still trying to convince myself that it was good enough for the show. Sadly, I put it back in the box along with the other two that didn't make the cut. (I'll put it up in the studio and try to figure out what it is I like about it.)

This year, artists didn't have to wait in line to grab tables like concert-goers camped out for tickets to the Rolling Stones. In a smart move, the organizers decided to assign tables. The show was held at the Alfond Student Union at the Maine Maritime Academy over three different rooms. My paintings were in the dining hall, which has many large windows and lots of natural light. Others weren't so lucky, in that one room was filled with photographs of MMA notables, both living and dead (imagine this for a backdrop for your paintings), and the third was illuminated mostly by banks of fluorescent lights. My paintings showed well on my assigned table.

Some of the comments about my paintings:

• "Your skies are the best of anyone's here"
• "These frames go really well with these paintings"
• "I really like the way the orangey underpainting shows through the paint"

I won an award each of the past two years, but not this year. There were many fine paintings, so I'm sure it was a tough call for the two judges. Having judged shows both national and regional, I understand the difficulty of viewing over 200 paintings in about an hour, which is all the time they had.

More important to me are sales. Although artists got free lodging (thank you, Jack and Sue!), there is still a financial commitment from the artist to attend these events. For me, I had to close one of our two galleries and give up some teaching in order to come. I sold only two paintings, for which I am grateful. Although it's hard to count people as they mill about, I got the sense that there were fewer visitors to the show than in previous years.

It was a fun event, and I'll probably sign on for it again next year. It was a pleasure, as always, to see old friends and to make some new ones. The residents were very supportive of the artists in giving us access to locations, and the Castine Arts Association staff and volunteers did a superb job of organizing the event. I'm hoping that next year they can arrange for the same beautiful skies.

I'll be heading off to Campobello Island early Sunday morning. The unsold paintings will go to Artists Retreat Studios & Gallery in Lubec. As I said, I really like these pieces, and in some ways, I'm reluctant to put them up for sale because they are some of my favorite works from this summer. But onto the wall they will go!

Castine Plein Air Festival 2015 - Day 2

Before the storm

After the storm
(No, the boats weren't all wiped out by the storm; this is a different cove)

Morning broke with sunshine and scattered clouds. Somewhat recovered from my marathon session yesterday, I headed down to Perkins Street and the little Catholic church that is there. Perched at the edge of the sea, the church offers a good view of Castine Bay. The atmosphere was thick and still, and the no-see-ums were hungry. I could tell from the clouds that we'd have rain later in the day, so I got busy painting the view. I was pleased with this one.

Incoming Weather 9x12 oi/panel by Michael Chesley Johnson

Available - Contact Michael

Afterward, I drove over to the town dock for a cup of coffee and to hob-nob with some of the other painters. I was feeling good about my run of paintings - maybe too good. When I found my next location, a lovely yard edged with roses, I faltered. Fell, is more like it. I'll blame it on the swift-changing light that confused me on the old "warm light, cool shadows; cool light, warm shadows" adage. (You painters know what I'm talking about.) I was in mud over my boot tops. Still, I kept going. I was loving my Thio Violet (Grumbacher) and how it made the roses glow. But I wasn't loving anything else in the painting.

Despondent, I headed home for an early lunch and some tea. I looked at the painting a few times in different light. Anytime you have to really work to convince yourself that the painting is okay, you know it's not. So, I stopped trying to convince myself. Ultimately, I didn't scrape it because it might be a good reference down the road. I'm note quite ready to share this one with the world!

I recovered after my break and headed out to paint the British Canal. I'd wanted to paint it last year, but it was all grown up in grass and, I was sure, thick with ticks. This year, the path to it has been nicely mown, so I pulled my socks over my pants legs and sprayed on the DEET. Clouds were building as I painted, and I could feel a thunderstorm developing behind me. Still, I had plenty of time to work. One thing about canals - they are straight. They don't meander. Fortunately for this one, time had created little serrations along the banks, and that made it a bit more interesting. Most fascinating was the incredible variety of color in the grasses.

British Canal 9x12 oi/panel by Michael Chesley Johnson

SOLD

By the time I'd finished, a huge thunderstorm the color of a bad bruise had crossed the town line. I drove downtown to check my e-mail quickly and then went home to close windows. Actually, I kept the ones to my room open. I love smelling the rain and feeling the cool, damp breeze when a storm moves through. I'm still reading the Metropolitan Museum's Degas exhibition catalog, and that's how I passed the time.

A couple of hours before sundown, the rain finally petered out. I took a long walk with my camera. Although there were some pretty scenes (see the photos as the top), they were so soft and subtle that the act of observing to paint would have ruined the experience. I parked at Wadworth Cove - not another soul was there - and just sat in my car taking in the view. The clouds were magnificent, and hardly a breath of wind disturbed the mirror-like bay.

Tomorrow (Saturday) will be the last day of painting. Our paintings are to be delivered between noon and 2 for the exhibit. I'm not sure how much painting I will get done before noon, as I need to frame and inventory everything. I'm hoping to get at least a 9x12 done. After today's storm, we should have a truly beautiful sunrise.

Castine Plein Air Festival 2015 - Day 1

Dyce Head 9x12 oil/panel
by Michael Chesley Johnson
SOLD

"Make hay while the sun shines," the saying goes. Today was sunny with a few clouds; for tomorrow, they are predicting showers. To make the most of the sun, I pushed myself and made five paintings. Three 9x12s before lunch; a 12x16 after lunch; and then a final 9x12 after an early supper. Was I tired? You bet!

Morning dawned clear and cool, and I was up early for coffee. Although there were a couple of hours of sunlight before the 7:30 canvas stamping, I decided to not scope out painting spots. After two times at the Festival, I have a good idea of possible locations. Instead, I lingered over a book, saving my energy for what I knew would be a long day.

Like a few other painters, I got to the canvas stamping tent a few minutes early to beat the rush. As soon as I loaded my pile of stamped panels back into the car, I headed down to Wadsworth Cove. The Cove is on the other side of Castine's little peninsula, opposite town. It's a popular beach, but it has good views, and I knew that early it would be empty of swimmers. Also, the clouds in the sky looked promising, and the Cove would be a perfect place for painting them.

For this event, I've decided to work exclusively with a small painting knife. I like the rich color a knife gives me, and also the fact that I don't have to clean any brushes. It's hard, however, to completely cover a surface with a knife; little white spots of any untoned canvas will shine through like Christmas tree lights To moderate this effect, I am toning all my panels with Gamblin's Transparent Earth Red FastMatte oil color. I just take a paper towel, dampen it slightly with Gamsol, and then work the FastMatte into the panel. This gives a warm background, somewhat like burnt sienna, and it dries fast enough that I can lay more paint on top without getting mud. I'm really pleased with the results I'm getting.

I did two paintings of Wadsworth Cove from the same spot; one looking south, and the other looking east. I like a location where I can get two or more paintings out of it without moving my easel! Only one other painter showed up here, and that was as I was finishing.

Afterward, I headed over to the Dyce Head Lighthouse. Here, there were several painters already set up. It was later in the morning and getting close to lunchtime, so I figured it would be a popular spot. I found a place to park and set up in front of my car. My timing was perfect, because the lighthouse and the keeper's cottage were lit from the left; any earlier, and they would have been front-lit; any later, back-lit. I took some liberties with a set of houses on the left. I chose to bulldoze them so I could have a view of the bay.

When lunch came, I wasn't sure what I was going to do the rest of the day. I was pretty tired already -- the sun really takes it out of you -- but lunch and a cup of Earl Grey tea energized me. I drove around and found a new spot. It's a little higher up with a view of the bay and, surprisingly for Castine, it's a vacant lot. This painting was a 12x16, and I blocked in the color with a big brush before going back to the knife. Large paintings made with a knife go faster if you can get color laid in with a brush first. (And I just used the one brush, so cleanup was quick.)

Now I was hungry again. I headed down to the town dock for supper at Dennett's Wharf restaurant. While enjoying my haddock sandwich, I decided I'd had it with painting for the day, so I took a walk afterward. My legs took me to the rooftop viewing area of the Maine Maritime Academy's wharf building. There I found four painters busily capturing the evening light. Feeling guilty that I'd knocked off so early, I dashed back to the car and retrieved my gear. I set up and painted a westerly view. Once again, the sky was my focus -- it was just so beautiful with the setting sun.

I'm only allowed to have six paintings in the show. But although I've already painted five that I am very pleased with, I'm certainly going to keep painting. You never know if a better painting might come along.

Castine Bay 12x16 oil/panel by Michael Chesley Johnson
Available - Contact Michael

Evening Clouds 9x12 oil/panel by Michael Chesley Johnson
Available - Contact Michael

Wadsworth Cove, South, 9x12 oil/panel by Michael Chesley Johnson
Available - Contact Michael

Castine Plein Air Festival - Pre-Event

Roses in Castine

When I strolled down to the Castine town dock yesterday, something seemed missing. Everything looked just as it had the last two years, so what was it?. A variety of pleasure craft sat moored in the water, a few tourists lingered by the fish'n' chips shack, and the usual late afternoon crowd occupied the deck of Dennett's Wharf restaurant. I scratched my head and wondered.

And then it hit me. The Maine Maritime Academy's training ship, the USS State of Maine, was gone.

It's funny how it took me a few moments to realize that the largest man-made structure in town was absent. I'd painted a picture of it each of the last two festivals. It was just as well. I wouldn't be tempted to to try painting it again, and I could go for something easier.

Castine is one of Maine's most historic waterfront towns. Home today to the Maine Maritime Academy, it has been occupied since 1613 by various groups including the French, the Dutch, the British and now the Americans. My favorite story about the town tells how during the Revolutionary war Loyalists dismantled their homes and shipped them and their families safely out of harm's way to Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. Things have calmed down considerably since then, and now Castine is a peaceful village with many beautiful historic homes. (The Loyalists didn't take them all away.) Tall elms line many of the streets, and there's always a breeze off Penobscot Bay.

This year, 42 painters have been juried into event, which is now in its third year. That's a lot of painters for such a tiny town; there'll be no escaping us as we mill up and down the streets looking for painting spots. I'm not sure yet what I'll be painting, but there's a lot to choose from. I'll be looking at some of the historic homes, the waterfront, the natural scenery and possibly even the Dyce Head lighthouse. I'll be painting 9x12 oils and hopefully at least one 12x16.

The weather is forecast to be pleasantly warm and sunny, with a chance of showers late Friday. We have two and a half days to paint in, so we should have no problem creating our six allotted paintings for Saturday's exhibition and sale. These paintings will need to be signed, framed and delivered between noon and 2 that day. Later that afternoon, you'll be able to see all of (and purchase any of ) the 252 paintings between 4 and 6 at the Maine Maritime Academy's Alfond Student Union on Pleasant Street. (For details on all of this, see http://www.castinearts.org.)

Now it's time to head to the town common to get my painting panels stamped. All artwork submitted on Saturday will need to have a special stamp on the back to prove that it was created during the event. This means, of course, that I won't be able to sneak in the 12x24 painting of the USS State of Maine I did last year. Of course, somebody would have figured out it wasn't painted this week anyway, since the boat seems to be missing.

Castine Plein Air Festival 2015

Me at the 2013 Castine Plein Air Festival

If you haven't heard, the Castine Plein Air Festival will start in just a few days.  This will be the third year for the Festival, and I am honoured to be an invited artist again.  I won an award each of the last two years, which automatically gets me an invitation.  Otherwise, it is a juried event, which guarantees there will be many fine painters.

This year's festival runs for three days, July 23-25, as it did last year.  Forty-two artists will arrive Wednesday evening, July 22nd, at which time we'll have a reception so we can meet each other as well as the organizers and support staff.  Early the next morning, Thursday the 23rd, we'll meet on the town common to get our canvases stamped – and then we're off!  We'll be painting boats, wharves, lighthouses, quaint old houses beneath the elms and, yes, even the natural landscape.  Then on Saturday the 25th at noon artists will turn in their framed paintings.  The reception and sale will be that afternoon from 4-6 pm at the Alfond Student Center at the Maine Maritime Academy.  For details on the event, visit http://www.castinearts.org/plein-air-festival/.

USS State of Maine 12x24 oil/panel by Michael Chesley Johnson

I painted this 12x24 oil painting last year of the USS State of Maine.  It's an impressive boat!  If you have a connection with the Maine Maritime Academy, which is located in Castine, perhaps you'd like to have it.  I will be taking it to Castine with me and can deliver it, or you can pick it up.  (I can also ship it.)  Contact me for price.

I'm really looking forward to being in Castine again for the festival.  After two years of participating, I have some great locations in mind for this year.  I hope to see you on the street or at the reception and sale!

Castine Plein Air Festival - Day 3

Honorable Mention: "Severe Weather" 9x12 oil 

Morning

As I write, I'm sitting on the cool porch of our "summer cottage," enjoying the breeze and the sublime sense of release that comes after a hard morning and a hot shower.  I was up early - others were today, too - and down to the waterfront by 6.  After communicating with the world (despite the Cloud's vagaries), I lugged my French easel and a 12x24 panel to a remote part of the docks.

As much as I was thinking that, if I were to paint a larger piece, I wanted something easy, when I saw the view of the T/S State of Maine, I knew I had to paint it.  (And Trina rightfully urged me to try something a little more ambitious than a quiet cove.)  The scene was complicated.  It wasn't  just the rocket-nosed State of Maine, which lay like a Leviathan at dock, but maybe two dozen dinghies and a variety of sailboats, and it all became increasingly fractalized and daunting as I stared at it.  To make matters worse, it was Saturday morning, and on a summer weekend, there would no doubt be a lot of coming and going of boats.

But I knew this was the scene for me, and I set up.  To get the drawing right, I spent a great deal of time making a pencil sketch.  Even though much of this would disappear with my block-in, it was useful because it helped me figure out and memorize line, angle and proportion.   I simplified the scene greatly, removing all the dinghies but one small outboard craft, another with some sort of cowl over it, and then the tugboat and a line of smaller boats behind it.

I worked over three hours on the painting.  As I knew they would, boats came and went; the tide went up; people stopped by to watch or take photos (thank you for asking), and to ask a question or two about the event.  When I packed up, I realized how beat I was.  I treated myself to a very early lunch of fish'n'chips and then went home to frame and inventory.

Here are the steps in the painting process for "Home Port (T/S State of Maine)":

"Home Port (T/S State of Maine)" 12x24 oil
Available - $750

One secret to framing plein air work during an event is retouch varnish.   Even in a day or two,  paint will start to dry, and colors will become less saturated.  I bring a can of retouch with me, and I give each painting a quick spray before popping them into the frame.

After the Show

I was pretty pleased with my line-up of five 9x12s and one 12x24.  Paintings had to be dropped off between 2:30 and 4:30 at the Academy student center, and it was "first come, first served" for space.   I got there early, but there were already painters in line.  As we waited, some of us joked about fans camping out overnight for tickets for a major concert.

After setting up my "store," I took a walk.  Judging was at 4:30, and we were wanted back at 5:30 for the awards, so there wasn't much else to do.  It was a beautiful evening - I would have loved to have had one more painting session - so I took photographs for future reference.  Castine has some very lovely architecture.

One of my paintings, "Severe Weather" (at the top of the blog), won an Honorable Mention.  The best part of the event, though, was that I got to paint in some really great locations and to make some new painting friends.  Thanks to everyone - my lodging hosts, the festival committee, sponsors and all the volunteers - for putting on a great festival!

Below are the rest of the paintings that were in the show, plus one that was not.  Keep in mind, that the paintings always look better in person than they do on the Internet.  (I am making that a bumper sticker.)  Now, it's off to Miramichi, New Brunswick, to teach a plein air painting workshop, followed immediately by another in St Andrews.

"Eaton's Boatyard" 9x12 oil
Available - $500

"Early Morning on the Wharf" 9x12 oil SOLD

"Sunny Side of the Street" 9x12 oil
Available - $500

"Flag with a View" 9x12 oil
Available - $500

"Clouds Over the Cove" 9x12 oil (not in the show)
Available - $500