Prints

Park Bench Evening

Oxford, Maryland has a large, shady park in the center of town. On a hot evening there is no place quite so welcoming as a bench in the park where you can watch the boats on the river and cool off in the shade of the trees as the breeze from the water helps your cares float away.

Patriarch

Pines brought me to Maine. When I first visited the state, the smell of the air was notably different, thanks to the pines, and I didn't want to leave that scent. The visual smorgasbord pines offer means that I am never at a loss for subject matter. Our monumental white pines are fatherly standouts, though, and inspire admiration. This one sits on a shore line, representing the species in fine form. I like to think it's a showier brother to the crew that towers over the woodland behind my home, sheltering in calm weather while always reminding me, in storms, of the primacy of nature's ultimate control of the world. I once saw a cabin named "one Maine pine" that had been made entirely from one tree. This specimen could probably become a similar project.

Pemaquid Gardens

The view across John’s Bay from Pemaquid Point on an August day can sometimes sparkle with perfection. On this visit I found gardens had been planted to decorate the lighthouse park. Those lovely blossoms, though, were only part of the picture. Closer to the shoreline the trees, flagged by challenging growing conditions, harsh storms, and consistent winds tell a different tale. They are the real warriors who face the elements and endure, just like the fishermen of Maine.

Pemaquid Ledges

On a warm September day I parked myself atop the ridges of rock at Pemaquid Point to take in the cooling water breezes and gaze across the water to the islands. At this bit of the shoreline I often find myself musing over the geological events that must, one day long gone, have upended that rock so it stood on its side and created the multi-layered surface of this shore line. Beneath the water lie the flatter ledges, home to all the lobsters and the traps marked by the buoys holding hope for the fishermen who farm these waters.

Pemaquid Perspective

All prints in this edition have been sold.

The view toward Christmas Cove from Pemaquid point offers rugosa roses all summer and a smorgasbord of islands stretching onto the horizon. Parking oneself for a picnic overlooking this scene on a perfect summer’s day guarantees an experience that is the essence of Maine, a memory to savor well into the depths of winter, wherever one spends it.

Phoebe’s Nest

All prints in this edition have been sold.

A couple of phoebes have built these wondrous moss nests several years in a row in a spot off my back porch. Though I have removed more than one nest and saved it for a drawing model, the ones I gather are always replaced with new models. This is one I saved and drew, with a little artistic license where the coloration of the eggs is concerned.

Potter’s Water Pot

I am not deluded into believing that this watering can in Beatrix Potter’s garden at Hilltop Farm is one SHE might have used. However, it’s not a stretch to think that one like it, tucked among the rhubarb leaves as it was the day I visited, provided a similar image for The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Primrose

The primrose is another favorite harbinger of Spring. I spent a number of early Springs with students in England and these were among the first bloomers. They are often among the first in my garden in Maine as well. Drawing this print was a study in detail and I had great fun developing the texture on the leaves.

Prize Hollyhocks

Despite the challenges they afford with respect to garden scourges like scale and Japanese beetles, hollyhocks are one of our garden staples. Here, along with nascent lilies, they rise elegantly against the siding to provide a visual treat that varies from year to year, depending upon who managed to weather the winter. This crop was particularly good and made for an image I couldn’t resist.

Quartet

Pears always seem amusingly anthropomorphic to me, and when it is winter and “still-life” season, it is easy to find myself drawn to them in the market. This group of golden boscs and red d’anjous looks a bit like two middle aged couples, perhaps hanging out on a park bench or ready to watch a show. Whatever they’re doing, I like their poses and the fact that they make me smile.