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"Whitehead from Gull Cove, Monhegan Island, Maine" 

Michael E. Vermette captured this image as a part of his 5-week Carina House, Monhegan Artist-in-residence program. It was painted from Gull Cove with an out-to-sea view against a full perspective of Whitehead. Whitehead is one of the largest headlands on Monhegan and the East Coast located between Little Whitehead and Burnt Head on the southeastern side of the island. Michael painted this watercolor en plain air at the very beginning of his artist residency on Monhegan Island in 1999. This is a fresh rendering of the surf and waves in Gull Cove with Whitehead as its monolithic backdrop. 
Michael says, "I wanted to emphasize the active surf and wave action of the cove and against the shore of Whitehead. I tried to capture the headland from Gull Cove in all its pure tonal beauty. Using a limited range of color to describe the foggy atmosphere, I am still draw even today to the quality of light upon these grays that you only find on a coastal off shore island like Monhegan. The quality of the Arnold paper I was given from Ann Hubert that gives a velvety look to the washes and a flow to washes made me admire this rare and vintage paper even more."
This is an watercolor painting made on location as the fog was burning off in the early morning and rendered in Michael's pure and bold range of transparent washes. Michael wet the back of the page before painting in order to draw the color into the page and create a brighter statement of color in the tone and textural grain in the wash. He uses a descriptive stroke of lines of power, motion, and shape in describing the character of Whitehead, yet he paints with a subtlety that captures even the lightest veils of light upon the faceted iron rust on granite with trailing yew and hay in between. He painted this study on a vintage Arnold watercolor paper that was given to him by one of Monhegan Island's artist matriarchs, Ann Hubert, for his residency program. He uses only pure Old Holland, Holbein and Daniel Smith mineral watercolor pigments to achieve the color and the textural grain that is most prized by watercolor painters who have painted on this amazing paper, specially designed and sized for the watercolor medium. He also wets the back of the paper to create even more of a richer statement of color in his washes.

Carl Little writes in Volume 30 of The Island Journal, " Michael Vermette, who emulates the vision of one of Monhegan island's great painters of the past, James Fitzgerald (1899-1971), adds impasto oomph to iconic views"

Item specificsSeller Notes:""This active watercolor is painted in expressive realistic tones on location, on a high quality Arnold Watercolor paper from England. This Painting represents early work in Michael's current Monhegan Island Residency portfolio in Maine. He is using his masterly wash methods and is painting with pure high quality Holbein, Old Holland and Daniel Smith pure mineral watercolor pigment. The watercolor is not framed but will come ready to set into an acid free matt and watercolor frame, all of which will increases its presentation and value substantially.

"Size: (up to 36in.) Medium: Watercolor, Date of Creation: 2000-Now, Region of Origin: USA, Monhgan Island, Maine, Substrate:Vintage Arnold Watercolor Paper From England, Year: 2000-now, Artist: Michael E. Vermette, Features: Signed, Style: Tonalism, Width (Inches): 24 1/2 inches, Listed By: Artist, Color: Multi-tonal watercolor, Subject: Seascape/ Nautical, Painting Surface: Vintage Arnold Watercolor Paper from England, Originality: Original, Quantity Type: Single-Piece, Work Height (Inches): 13 1/2 inches.