PMA Biennial and Beverly Rippel Workshop



Beverly Rippel, Pink Cap Gun I, 2010,
oil and encaustic on linen

 The 2011 Portland Museum of Art Biennial is a varied and strong show.  Alex and I attended the early opening and were able to find quite a few works that we enjoyed.  Although the Sunday paper review of the show made only a scant mention of "traditional landscape painting," the choice of paintings for the show tilted to a realist approach and I found this surprising and in a way reassuring.  I also attended a workshop ("Studio Revealed" PMA blog entry of April 5, 2011)  led by Biennial artist, Beverly Rippel.  We received a spirited, hands-on view into Ms. Rippel's studio approach to subject and technique, and spent some time looking at and discussing her Biennial work, "Pink Cap Gun I."  When you go to the Biennial, the work is best viewed from the 2nd floor balcony as opposed to craning one's neck viewing it from the exhibit floor.  It is quite striking, beautiful and disquieting at the same time. 

Heron

I took a break between paintings to cut and print a soft block print "Heron."  The image is sketched from photos I took on the grounds of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art last fall.  It was a bit of luck to catch the great blue heron in flight so clearly.  The prints are in an edition of twenty-five, matted to fit an 11 by 14 inch frame.  The image itself is 7 1/2 by 9 inches.

Another Blooming Painting

The latest work, "On the Kennebec," has been completed and is shown below.  It is another painting in panoramic format of blooms seen here in Maine, this time from along the Kennebec in Bath.  I selected this scene because of the contrast it offers between the tree in blossom and the structures in the background.  This makes two paintings in this style, the first being the "Coastal Garden Rhododendron."  I plan to make a series of these by doing a third.  Alex and I returned from three weeks on the road, most of it in Florida, near St. Augustine.  The weather and scenery were a perfect change from this persistent winter here in Maine.  Check out the "mall egret" we found strolling the strip mall parking lot where we stopped for Thai food.  We also found the Ormond Memorial Art Museum in Ormond Beach, where they had a show focusing on race cars and the Daytona speedway, just down the beach.  The photo-realistic works of Colin Carter were particularly grabbing.  On a serious note, we hold the people of Japan and Libya in our thoughts and prayers.

Joe Godleski, "On the Kennebec"

A New Painting and a look at Rackstraw Downes

Casco Bay Ferry

Rackstraw Downes,
Farm Buildings
Near the Rio Grande:
West End of the
Barn, P.M.,

 The latest painting, "Casco Bay Ferry," took me in a different direction as far as painterly process.  I applied the paint in uniform blocks or dabs, with minimal gestures or lines, using a palette knife to flatten and coalesce adjoining dabs.  The over-all effect is an impressionistic one I am told, although I was not sure that was where it would end up.  It's something I'd like to try on a larger scale canvas with a freer palette, just to see.  On another note, Alex and I took in the Rackstraw Downes show at the Portland Museum of Art.  We both enjoyed the show immensely and found the works very accessible and remarkable.  Having spent a couple years in Kansas running on desolate roads there with a backdrop of dust, stone, scrub shrub, rusting equipment, lonesome structures and big sky, I felt particularly one with Mr. Downes paintings of the southwest like the one pictured above.  They offer a solitary man's view into these corners of our country that have their own character and aesthetic. 

Latest Work and a visit to NCMA

"Coastal Garden Rhododendron", Oil, 30" X 10"

The first new work of the new year has been completed - "Coastal Garden Rhododendron" - shown above. It is from a sketch and photo early last Spring at the Coastal Botanical Gardens.  Again, the panorama format seems to work well and I really enjoyed working on this piece. 



Bob Trotman, "Girl", 2002



Alex and I returned from a holiday road trip early this month.  We had a chance to visit the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh.  It was surprisingly enjoyable.  While the art critics may not have been kind to Mr. Rockwell, there is little doubt his work is well-composed and executed.  The exhibit was quite large, with many, many of his oils spanning 5 decades and a compelling narrative to accompany.  Also, at the NCMA was Bob Trotman: Inverted Utopias, a series of life-size carved, painted wood figures in falling, floating, suspended or otherwise unusual poses.  These works were impressive in their construction and a little spooky in their connection with each other.

New Work

Keuka Lake

Around the Bend

 
 "Early Spring" was completed yesterday (see below).  For those of you familiar with Brunswick, it's a shot of the Crystal Spring Farm in early spring.  The ewes were very close to lambing, snow was still on the ground and the sky was crystal blue clear.  Working in the panorama format is very comfortable for me because as someone who wears glasses, that's pretty much the normal range of vision.  I also recently completed two works for friends outside Maine - an oil painting of "Keuka Lake" in upstate NY and a mixed media (oil, acrylic, digital image transfer using matte medium) "Around the Bend" from Yorklyn Delaware.  Having just finished a 3 month drawing class with Kathie Boldt, an excellent, excellent instructor, I am resolved for 2011 to feature more plein air and from-life work to balance out the work I have been doing from photo.  Cheers!!!



"Early Spring", Oil on Canvas, 30" by 10"



Bates Museum of Art - Excellent Shows

The latest show on the main floor of the Bates Museum of Art in Lewiston is stunningly beautiful. Artist Lalla Essaydi in "Les Femmes du Maroc" combines photography with Arabic calligraphy to present her decidedly non-romanticized vision of Arab women using poses corresponding to the familiar 19th century paintings of Ingres, Delacroix and others. Each picture has a clarity, symmetry and tonal consistency that seem just right for the subjects. The exhibit in total has a resonance that serves to amplify the wonder of each picture. 

The Landscapes of Maine show on the lower floor at Bates contrasts 19th century works by Delbert Dana Combs with more modern works by Maine artists such as Weliver (above right), Thon and Babb. My preference leaned toward the modern and the works on display were a very good cross-section.  Both shows end December 18th and if you have the opportunity, it is time well spent.