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"Surf At Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park,Maine Maine"

This watercolor seascape study is a beautifully executed painting sketch of a man surf watching. It was painted on location en plein air just after a storm the previous day. Painted at Schoodic Point, in Acadia National Park, Maine this study is a part of Michael's Acadia residency portfolio as a park artist when staying on the Schoodic peninsula. 
Michael says," I painted this small study of a large wave and surf crashing in just below a visitor who watches, giving the wave scale. This location is one of my favorite spots to return to after a storm. Painted by hundreds of painters in history, this place is not only stunning but also known to be a dangerous place to be with the occasional rogue wave sweeping unexacting visitors away when their backs are turned away from the sea. I have painted this subject many times, each completely different in atmosphere and light. The whole painting was made very spontaneously because there is little time to think about formula or painting process. That's what makes this watercolor so charming and fresh. The uniqueness of the location and the speed in which it was painted offering a spontaneous quality that captures the moment." Painted in plein air, Michael use of the medium is in keeping with the James Fitzgerald style that he has developed over the years. Michael paints on location to capture the light and the movement of the subject. He also believes that his paintings have a spiritual life of their own as he captures these moments in time. The painting study is rendered within a two hour block of time and it is painted using the highest quality pure pigments from Holbin, Daniel Smith and Old Holland hand ground paint. Michael also uses a traditional method of wetting the back of his sheet of paper to draw in the washes and creating a richer statement of color as the master's did.
This is an watercolor painted study made on location in Michael's pure and bold style of transparent washes. Michael uses a descriptive stroke that describes luminosity, lines of power, motion, and shape in describing the character of the wave and surf against the dark magma dike stone, sandwiched between the pinkish orange granite. Yet, he paints with a subtlety that captures even the lightest veils of light. He painted this study on handmade Twinrocker heavy weight watercolor paper and was able to achieve the textural grain that is most prized by painters who have come to love this high quality paper.
Michael also says, "I am intrigued with the timelessness in change in my paintings. They show a love of color and light with emphasis on the expressive painterly mark and form, which evoke a recognizable feeling, a nostalgic memory, or even emotional qualities such as the smell of salt and balsam in the morning ocean air." 
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"
Michael E. Vermette double majored in Painting and Printmaking at the Maine College of Art, receiving his B.F.A Painting degree in 1980. He received his Certification in K-12 Art Education in 1986 through the University of Maine at Orono. A full-time artist and part-time art educator, Michael has been painting in oil, watercolor, and pastel for over fifty years and has won numerous awards for his work, including the Marilyn Sabin, Lauran Coleman and the Beverly Awards at the 12th,13th and 14th Biennial North American Open Shows of the New England Watercolor Society where he has been awarded signature membership. Most recently, Has been been awarded the honor of being the 1st Allagash Wilderness waterway artist-in-residency for the summer of 2020 where he expects to paint another 50 small studies. Michael is also the 2018 first place winner of the Castine Plein Air Festival, and a 2015-2017 winner as well. He won Best of Show in the Kennebunk River Club Art Exhibit and Sale for his watercolor, "Sea Dog". Michael leads several oil and watercolor plein air painting workshops in Maine and New Hampshire throughout the year. He is a Monhegan Artists' Residency Fellow and the 2011 Baxter State Park Artist-in-Residence in Maine. He was also an Artist-in-Residence at Acadia National Park twice in 1999 and 2006. His watercolors, oils, and pastels are in private collections throughout the country and internationally. In Maine, his works have been shown at various galleries and is currently represented by the Frame and Art Gallery in Yarmouth, The Lupine Gallery on Monhegan Island, and the Gleason Fine Art Gallery in Boothbay Harbor, all located in Maine. Because of the very high quality of the painting the starting price is set at 1/4 of the painting's worth. Because of this high quality and the confidence with quality custom shipping, I do not allow money back returns at this time.