skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Months have passed since my foggy week residency at Great Spruce Head Island, and the experience still affects me in some way, every day. For my small daily paintings I try to plan out my subjects for the week. Some days either my planned painting doesn't feel right, or I just go into the studio without a plan. On those days I find myself going back to that week, and drawing on those images...the spruce, the fog, the subtle but powerful colors. This was one of those days. Fogged-in. 6 X 6 oil on panel. Sold.
An extraordinary experience. Art Week is an annual event centered at Fairfield Porter's family summer retreat on Great Spruce Head Island, and graciously hosted by Anina Porter Fuller, herself an accomplished painter. Since 1993, each summer Anina has invited a group of 12 artists, (painters, writers, sculptors, photographers) to Great Spruce Head Island. The island offers not only bold and majestic views for inspiration but an environment of quiet simplicity where little has changed since the island was purchased and the 12-room summer cottage was built in 1912. It was a time of creativity and sharing that I will treasure forever. If you are not familiar with the work of Fairfield Porter, you can view online a large collection of his paintings at the Parrish Art Museum of Southampton, NY. We shared the weather that most of New England had during that time, but it did not dampen our spirits in the least. We still hiked and explored the island and painted outdoors in the light mist and fog, and during steadier rains many of us turned to painting interiors and still life which we hadn't previously explored in our work. These posts are such interiors, one in gouache and the other in pastel. A new subject for me, I was completely enthralled with the succession of windows in the home and the reflections and dramatic light that they presented.
Attended the Island Artists Show at Courthouse Gallery yesterday afternoon. A wonderful sampling of work by Fairfield Porter and artists that have attended Art Week at Great Spruce Head Island over the years. A great way to get inspired for my own attendance starting next Saturday the 20th. In addition to the inspiring art, I saw many old friends including one of my favorite people and painters, Sarah Faragher (www.sarahfaragher.com) who first told me about Art Week. For information about the show, visit: www.courthousegallery.com
Posts
