Blog

CHANGING COURSE

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. My wife Elaine is doing well and has lost over 40 pounds, dropped 4 dress sizes and is looking better than ever. She is no longer type two diabetic and we think she has passed her kidney stone; which is an amazing miracle in itself. I too have lost about 25 lbs and am almost at my goal weight. Since Elaine has decided to go through a naturopathic protocol through the Integrative Health Group with Penobscot First Nations Dr. Jus Cre Giammarino, ND we have both radically changed our own course in life by changing our eating habits and taking charge of our health through our faith. If you would like to walk with me throughout the summer, I have a new fitbit group I am calling "The Plein Air Walkers", and you are all welcome to join me in shedding off the pounds and taking charge of your health. You will need to buy a fit bit and then look up the group that is open for everyone to join. This group is for plein air painters who paint outdoors and want to track their steps, paint-outs, and hikes to and from the painting site. It also serves as a support for their health and the health of fellow artists, friends and even patrons. To get started just log on to or click Fitbit.com.

The watercolor painting above is my new painting called, "Mohegan Lobster Boat Captain Changing Course". As the lobster season comes to a close at this time of year on Mohegan Island, the captain and crew begin to think about changing course. It is a good time to contemplate and share the blessings and disappointments among close friends who believe the way you do. Even life's expectations can be fleshed out when trust, loyalty and brave leadership are displayed on the sea. These hard lessons learned during the long winter can now serve to unite the fisherman together in a unique way as they begin to prepare and plan for radical changes to be made in their future.

And so too is it with us when we face the radical truth learned from experiential encounters. And it is in those precious times when we have adapted and changed course that we have experienced a departure from the intellect and more of a reliance on a real encounter with the Spirit.

Just as the lobster boats are turned into the winds of change, so too does the lobster boat captain go; and so should we. It's time to finish well and get those expectations fulfilled. For them it means coiling the lines, untying the buoys, buy new traps, replace worn-out gear and paint buoys. For us artists it could mean entering paintings into a Spring Show, buying new supplies, replacing worn out equipment and getting ready to paint more in plein air festivals and auctions.

Whatever direction your course of change takes you, I recommend that you celebrate that season of new beginning and take some time to embrace the ordinary and extraordinary things on your way.

NEW PAINTING COURSES AND WORKSHOPS COMIMG UP!

What better way to change course in your life than to take an art workshop or night class. I will be teaching two courses in watercolor and Oil painting at Bangor Adult and Community Education at Bangor High School 885 Broadway, Bangor, Maine. The first course is beginning this Wednesday April 4th from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM and is called The Winning Approaches to Watercolor Painting, part two. For more information or to register Click Here. 

The second course begins on Thursday night April 5th from 5:30 pm to 8:30 PM and is called The Winning Approaches to Oil Painting, Part two. To get more information or register for this class Click Here.

Both of these night time classes have new lessons for both the beginner and advanced student alike. It is a continuation of the previous course but you do not have to have attended part one to be apart of the class since the lessons are all separate and tailored to the participants each week. It's a great way to get real results in your art and have a lot of fun at the same time. Hope to see all of you that can attend soon!

I wil also be teaching a Watercolor workshop in May called:

Experimental Watercolor Painting with Michael Vermette(weekend workshop) May 5 & 6 At the Jackson Fine Art and Gallery in Jackson, New Hampshire. To register CLICK HERE.

In this weekend workshop, participants will learn new and exciting ways to create interesting effects in watercolor painting. Michael will demonstrate unique ways to alter the wash and alternative tools to use that will help you paint beyond the restriction of the brush. By experimenting with methods before, during and after the wash is executed, artists will achieve spontaneity in their painting. The instructor will also demonstrate how to create an "Active Wash" that is used to manipulate "Lost and Found Edges" in a watercolor painting. Michael will encourage artists to dive in, set aside their fears and begin to paint without a lot of pre-planning. Students will learn new techniques that will give them the freedom to let go and allow the medium to do what it does best without having to control every outcome. Be sure to bring a notebook! There will be a plethora of step-by-step demonstrations that bring the fun back into painting. This class is designed for the beginner and experienced artist alike. Participants should bring photos or drawings to apply these techniques to make experimental watercolors from. Students are responsible for their own supplies and a supply list will be sent to registered students. Class size is limited to allow for personal attention

Tuition: $225 (registration closes May 1)

Cancellation Policy. We ask that you to give us one week notice if you need to cancel and we will refund you minus a $10 cancellation. Cancellations should be made by phone by calling (603) 387-3463. This provides us the opportunity to fill the space. We are sorry, but we cannot give refunds or issue credits for 'no shows'.

ART NEWS

I will have a busy summer once again. So far I have been accepted into two plein air events!

The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust (CELT) has accepted me as one of their artists this Summer to Paint for Preservation 2018, their 11th annual juried Wet Paint Auction to be held on July 1, 2018. Juried artists will paint on site over a three-day period, from Friday, June 29 to Sunday, July 1, at designated public and private locations chosen to highlight Cape Elizabeth's natural beauty. The public is invited to watch participating artists work on location. On Sunday afternoon, the newly painted artwork will be auctioned at a cocktail reception. Proceeds from the event benefit CELT's conservation of the shorelands and marshes, farmlands and woodlands that provide scenic beauty, recreational opportunities and important wildlife habitat in Cape Elizabeth. For more information CLICK HERE!