Munjoy Afternoon, or, The Painting That Almost Wasn't

Munjoy Afternoon
16x20, acrylics on canvas
SOLD

This is also known as The Painting That Almost Wasn't. You can't see it in the photo, but directly behind the attic window in the house at the right front, there's a tear in the canvas, caused on Sunday morning by my incessant clumsiness. I was carrying masonite painting panels and the top one slid off and its sharp corner sliced right through the upright canvas on the easel, causing a puncture wound I feared was fatal. I had spent many hours already on this painting, and it was only about a third done. For a day, I wrestled with a dilemma: toss the painting (and lose all those hours I'd worked), or mend it and keep going. I opted to keep going. I put masking tape on the back, smoothed out the front, added another coat of blue paint, and then decided to camouflage the whole thing by adding another window on top of it. Good old Payne's Gray will cover a multitude of sins. The painting was saved. If I do end up taking it to the Art Walk in Boston, I'll offer it at a discount because of the injury. If it doesn't sell, I'll keep it and hang it in my house, as it's one that I really like.

Life. It's what happens while you're making other plans.

April Afternoon in Mexico

April Afternoon in Mexico
16x20, acrylics on canvas
AVAILABLE

Mid-April in the tiny town of Mexico, Maine. We have a very international flavor here in Maine. Just up the road from Mexico lies Peru. A little farther south are Norway, Oxford, and Paris. If you drive through Augusta headed east, you'll probably pass through China. The Scandinavian countries are represented by Denmark and Sweden. And we can't forget Poland and Naples. There's a famous signpost in Western Maine that points to all these towns. You've probably seen it on a postcard a time or two.

All of which has nothing whatsoever to do with this post, so let's get down to business. This house, sitting alongside Route 17 in Mexico, caught my attention as I was driving past last week. I liked the way the strong afternoon sunlight hit it, liked the dormer across the front (side? back?) and the way the house sits a tad below street level.

Beaver Pond in April

Beaver Pond in April
8x10, acrylics on canvas
AVAILABLE

In the wilderness of Western Maine, Route 17 runs from Rangeley to Rumford, crossing the Appalachian Trail at the route's apex. Not far from that spot, this small body of water, known as Beaver Pond, lies in the shadow of distant blue mountains, waiting for spring to arrive. In mid-April, ice still covers its entire length, but the bluish color of that ice tells the true story, that spring is just around the corner.

April Afternoon, Route 17

April Afternoon, Route 17
11x14, acrylics on canvas
SOLD

This farmhouse sits in the middle of a huge field on Route 17, the scenic route that runs between Rangeley and Rumford, Maine. I caught it at the time of day when the lowering afternoon sun cast velvet shadows that enhanced its beauty.

Hill Houses

Hill Houses
11x14, acrylics on canvas
SOLD

My latest effort. This one took a few hours; lots of detail, and after my last fatal attempt at a painting that couldn't be resuscitated, I wanted this one to be something I really liked. These houses sit on the backside of Sand Hill, where the morning sun hits them early in the day and causes all kinds of wonderful light and shadow patterns.

Moonset

Moon Setting Over Al's House

No new paintings to post this morning, but I thought I'd share these images I caught this morning as the moon was setting. I got a whole series; these are two of the better ones. It's difficult to get photos in dark light without blurring, even with a tripod. Just pressing the shutter release causes movement.

I did get up at 4 and start a new painting this morning, but so far, I'm not impressed with it. Most of them go through an ugly stage, but this one seems uglier than most. I may end up surprising myself; often, a painting so ugly I want to toss it without finishing turns out perfectly acceptable. Others start out ugly and stay that way. I've had a few failed paintings. I just consider it a learning experience.

Tarnished Queen

Tarnished Queen
8x10, acrylics on canvas
SOLD

This old trailer sits on Route 3 between Augusta and Belfast. I've been driving past it for years, and it holds tremendous appeal for me; it reminds me of the old trailers I remember from my childhood. I've always had a special fondness for these old relics, possibly because I spent so many years of my life living in trailers. None of them were as old as this one, though!

A1 Diner - Digital Photo

A1 Diner
8x10 or 5x7, Digital photo
AVAILABLE

No new paintings this week; work has been hectic and I'm going home at night too exhausted to do anything. Plus, I spent a big chunk of the weekend working on taxes. Ugh. Saturday is looking like one more tax day. Hope to finish them then. Maybe after that, I can get back to painting. She said hopefully.

Meanwhile, here's a digitally-manipulated photo I took recently with my new Canon camera. In my spare time (what's that?) I'm having great fun taking photos and playing around with imaging software. Since I'm now officially Poor White Trash and can't afford Photoshop, I'm using a combination of two free programs: Picasa and Gimp. Picasa is pretty basic, but Gimp, I'm told, can do pretty much anything Photoshop can do. Or it would, if I only knew how to use it! Baby steps. That's what I have to practice. I've also been matting prints for next month's Artwalk in Boston, but I'd like to get a few more paintings done to take with me. I'm also starting to list photo prints, like the above one, in my Etsy shop. Too much to do, too little time, even less energy.

All I can say is, I hope summer arrives soon. Life should be a little easier then.