Plein Air Painting Workshops in Maine and New Hamphire

West Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec, Maine

Foggy Days are Good, Too!

Last Call for Plein Air Painting Maine

I know I keep plugging my workshops, but I feel that they are the best way to get what I have to offer as a teacher.  Blogs, books and yes, even videos, can only take you so far.  I believe strongly that personal feedback and critiques are the ideal way to make a real jump in your craft.  With that in mind, let me mention that I still have spaces in my two final Plein Air Painting Maine workshops, which are based in the scenic working waterfront town of Lubec.  August 23-26 is an all-level workshop; August 30-September 2 is for intermediate to advanced students.  At this moment, we can also offer lodging.  The workshop alone is $300; the package with lodging is $800.  For details, please visit www.PleinAirPaintingMaine.com.

Bartlett, New Hampshire

On the Saco River

Plein Air Painting in New Hampshire in the Footsteps of the Hudson River Painters

About a month from now, I'll be driving to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to lead a two-day workshop in Bartlett, near North Conway.  I'm really looking forward to this one because the White Mountains are rich with plein air painting history.  Many of the Hudson River School painters, including Thomas Cole and Albert Bierstadt, spent significant time there, honing their skills.  How can we not be inspired, walking and painting in their footsteps?

Everyone, including me, will be staying at the historic Bartlett Inn.  The Inn serves a hearty hot breakfast each morning, and there are many dining options in the area for other meals.  Also, since our painting locations are close to the Inn, we'll maximize our painting time.

I still have spaces in this exciting workshop.  Prices are very reasonable, from $330 to $495 plus tax,  depending on your lodging selection.   Download a brochure here.  For details and to register, please contact Sharon Allen at pleinairgal@gmail.com.

I hope you'll join us for one of these workshops!

Crawford Notch by Thomas Cole
By Daderot (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

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!

Paintings for Argosy Gallery...and More!

Beehive from Sand Beach
6x8 oil by Michael Chesley Johnson

The opening of my show at Argosy Gallery in Bar Harbor was a great success!  As you might imagine, hearing that it just about sold out made me very happy.   Following the event, the gallery  asked me to paint a few more, which I was happy to do.  With that in mind, here are the next half-dozen 6x8 oils, which I will be delivering this Wednesday, July 20.  (One is above.) As a reminder, these paintings celebrate the 100th anniversary of Acadia National Park, and they make great reminders of our nation's natural beauty.

Acadian Meadow

Another Acadian Sunset

Otter Cliff Backlit

Quiet Wave

Sand Beach Wave

All are available through: The Argosy Gallery, 110 Main Street, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 / (207) 288-9226 / info@argosygallery.com

Wednesday is also the day I'll be heading to Castine, Maine, for the Castine Plein Air Festival.  This is my fourth time at the event, and I always enjoy it.  During the Festival, the Maine Maritime Academy is out of session, so town is pretty quiet, and there is plenty of parking for both painters and patrons.  The event runs from July 21-23, Thursday through Saturday, with a grand show and sale on Saturday evening.  I hope I'll see you around town during this three-day event.  For full details: http://www.castinearts.org/plein-air-festival/

Finally, we've had a recent cancellation for one of our package workshops.  For $800, you get five nights lodging plus my four-day Plein Air Painting Maine workshop, all based in Lubec at Artists Retreat Studios and Gallery.  The workshop dates are August 2-5, with arrival on Monday, August 1, and departure on Saturday, August 6.  (There is a chance you come earlier.)  If you're interested, please let me know right away.

That's all for now.  Stay tuned for my Castine Plein Air Festival report, coming later this week!