Prints

La Romieu Chat #2

The village of La Romieu in southern France is noted for its 12th century Collegiate Church of St. Pierre which began life as a Benedictine priory. It also has a village legend about Angeline, a young orphan who saved a couple of cats during a famine that caused the population to eat all the cats. When things improved the crops, in turn, were consumed by rats and mice that had proliferated in the absence of felines. Angeline then released her hidden cats and saved the village from a new famine. Whether one believes the tale or not, it is hard not to be enchanted by the cat sculptures that now appear in odd places about the village. My three “chat” prints are the result of my visit to La Romieu.

La Romieu Chat #3

The village of La Romieu in southern France is noted for its 12th century Collegiate Church of St. Pierre which began life as a Benedictine priory. It also has a village legend about Angeline, a young orphan who saved a couple of cats during a famine that caused the population to eat all the cats. When things improved the crops, in turn, were consumed by rats and mice that had proliferated in the absence of felines. Angeline then released her hidden cats and saved the village from a new famine. Whether one believes the tale or not, it is hard not to be enchanted by the cat sculptures that now appear in odd places about the village. My three “chat” prints are the result of my visit to La Romieu.

Le Cimetiere des Artistes

I have always liked the visual landscapes of cemeteries, particularly those that are old with simple, classic markers. I had done the initial drawing for this plate but felt it lacked something. It sat for quite some time, and then one day I had the idea to gather my favorite artists together and commemorate them with images from their work. Thus was born my artists’ cemetery.

Le Pigeonnier

This wonderful little structure, no doubt well into its second or third century, once housed what was an important major food source. Though the loft still has residents, these days this building’s primary use is as a garden shed. It’s accompanied by a well-filed supply of roof tiles, stones, slabs of wood, and stakes, thus covering nearly all eventualities. Newly sprouting leeks graced the first rows of this year’s potager when I did this image in the early days of Spring.

Looking for Lunch

Each spring the alewives migrate to the Great Salt Bay and find their way into the Damariscotta Mills fish ladder where they make their way up to Damariscotta Lake to spawn.  This amazing pilgrimage does not go unnoticed by hungry birds.  Gulls, osprey, and eagles fill the air above the fishway where they dive for easy meals. This enterprising gull found an easier approach, perching above a resting pool along the ladder’s edge. I have no doubt he was successful.

Looking for Spring

All prints in this edition have been sold.

These geraniums were nearly discarded after being carried through a number of years. We decided to offer them one last chance, though, and brought them in at the frost. Amazingly, they rose to the challenge and by February were gazing hopefully out at the snow, keeping a bead on the distant bay and clearly scouting for the advent of Spring.

Lookout Point

I’ve looked many times at this little gathering of architecture perched solidly on its rock ledge. It’s fun to try to imagine being in the tower or sitting on one of the porches gazing out to sea in all manner of weather days, an activity that is always mesmerizing and, somehow, restorative. I know not whether this point has a name, but I’ve selected Lookout Point as an ideal candidate.

Lunchtime - Swan’s Island

This print began on a camping trip with a group of students. We’d taken the boat from Bass Harbor to Swan’s Island as an exploratory venture. The still-life of our packs on the rocks where we stopped for lunch provided the image. This picture now reminds me of that lunch and the way we basked in the early May sunshine. The kids sunned themselves on the rocks like a crew of seals. They found this “educational experience” far preferable to classroom lectures.

Lupine Land

Looking for strong, spiky blue in the garden, my mother and I tried delphiniums a number of times over the years, always without success. Lupines, with a little bit of coaching, though, can readily fill that bill. There is, in fact, nothing quite so breathtaking as seeing a field full of wild lupines - a sea of blue that declares "it is June in Maine and summer is on the rise." It's a scene that never ceases to excite me and bring a smile to my soul.

Maine Isles

The tiny islands off the coast are an endless source of fascination to me. I look out across the horizon and try to imagine what it would be like to live on an island, in solitude, with one’s life dictated by the elements.