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THE PLEIN AIR CONNECTION NEWSLETTER MAY 18TH, 2013


"Daicey Pond In May, Baxter State Park" an oil on oak board 8 x 10 inches by Michael E. Vermette

       This last Saturday the Plein Air Connect group painted on their own. May is a very busy time for all of us and it can be difficult to keep a healthy perspective on what is actually important. For me, I delivered over 25 of my watercolor and oil paintings to the North Light Gallery in Millinocket, Maine for their upcoming opening show on Saturday June 1st from 10-6 PM. I took advantage of the opportunity to paint in Baxter State Park since I was in Millinocket for the afternoon. The North Light Gallery is a kind of crossroads to not only see great interior northern Maine paintings, but a place where you meet interesting people who can help you as an artist if you open yourself up and take the time to engage in conversation. Just when I was there, I met with Park specialist Jean Hekwater and the new Interpretive specialist Margan Taylor. They informed me that some areas in Baxter State Park were open and that I could travel to Daicey Pond to do a painting. Marsha Donahue, the gallery's owner, told me about Michael Branca, one of the artists in the gallery. She thought he was camping and painting for a few days at Daicey Pond. So I decided to paint at Daicey Pond for the afternoon. The ranger at Togue Pond gatehouse was new and handed me the free publication put out by the park called "Wildnotes." I was pleasantly surprised to find two of my artist residency painting in the publication  and in full color including "Canoeing At Kidney Pond" and "Fly Fisherman at Big Niagara Falls." The ranger at the gate house informed me that the black flies were out in force and I knew then that I was at a disadvantage because I forgot to bring bug repellant. So I can truly say that the little 8 x 10 study seen above was a perfect battle in the making. I did get an occasional breeze but they would swarm right back when the wind died down a few having to get picked out of my oil sketch. I never did meet up with Michael Branca but the idea of artists seeking each other out for inspiration and camaraderie became a topic on my mind, especially after reading week 10: Discovering a Sense of Camaraderie in Julia Cameron's book, "Walking In This World."

Since we are no longer meeting to discuss Julia Cameron's  book, "Walking In This World", I thought that I would share a few thoughts that I had. I began to think about this Lone Ranger view the world has of us as artists and how the artist's life is not lived in isolation at all. The chapter focuses on friendships and how they are seen as creative collaborators to our art making. She goes on to say that loyalty, integrity, ingenuity, grace and generosity are all attributes necessary for a healthy exchange. I was mindful of how we need to keep drama in our art and not in our personal relationships with others. Sometimes when we are in this state of mind we make trouble instead of making art. We make trouble because we sometimes binge on not making art and our aches and pains become the world's pain in the neck. Marsha Donahue talked about this very thing with me about an older artist who has become difficult to deal with. We talked about how painters can become a pain in the neck because they simply are not producing art and are taking it out on everyone around them. In reality, when we do this, when we tighten our egotistical grip on our family and friends as our servants, we lose our sense of humor.  I love the quote on a bumper sticker that says,"Angels fly because they take themselves lightly." Emotional drama if channeled into our art is fine, but we must avoid emotional drama with our friends and family. 

The second thing I thought about that the book covers is that we must have a focus on becoming better artists who are not only interested in expressing ourselves but making paintings more accurately and more beautifully. The most amazing thing happened at the Bangor Open Juried show at the Bangor Public Library last Wednesday. Everyone except one new member who had just joined us; everyone that is who was at our last connect meeting last week, won an award and cash prize in the show! I won a first place ribbon in watercolor and was glad for the other winners as well. But what I took away with me that night was more than the $200.00 award. It was the encouraging comment Ulrike Guthrie, the president of the Bangor Art Society made about my watercolor and why she liked it better than two larger watercolors I painted a year ago. Guidance and generosity are always closer than we think if we are open to receive it. I believe it is a spiritual principle that the life and growth of our paintings must rest in the divine hands of our Creator who is the ultimate source of our creative excellence. It is easy to forget this and make our patron, gallery owner, and teacher the source of our good inspiration. When we consider the Great Creator as our Ultimate friend, who knows what's best for us, help us find our path even when we are feeling distant or removed from our dreams, then we are led. And how do we know if we are encountering a real friend? When they point to "life" rather than the judgement of what's " good and wrong" in our art. They actually encourage us to keep painting, which is the place where we find our "life" as painters.

The third thing I pondered in the book is the idea of before, during and after friends who love and accept us no matter what shape our current creativity looks like. Juila Cameron makes a great analogy of a friend being a "Catcher's Mitt." At the end of Beethoven's life, frustrated by his growing deafness, God became his catcher's mitt and he went on to write some of the most glorious music ever composed. One of my best catcher's mitt is my friend Adrienne. When I tell her that things are not going as expected, she encourages me that it was a learning experience and to move forward. A catcher's mitt is someone who does not sugar coat with compliments but is an empathetic person who is receptive to our efforts, who crouches near the plate and says. "Put it here!" Our catcher's mitt fields our creative energy by narrowing down our sights to a specific point of contact when we are too general to be effective. These before, during and after friends are actually spiritual sidekicks who are our creative companions who are willing to go on the greatest adventures with us. I will end with a quote from Victor Hugo, "A compliment is something like a kiss through a veil." And for all us who have won awards, "All who joy would win Must share it,- Happiness was born a twin" by Lord Byron.

Next Saturday May 25th The Plein Air Connect group will be meeting at the Abundant Life Church parking lot at 8:30 am to car pool and paint plein air at the Bangor City Forest's Bog Walk. They are repairing it in time for this Memorial Day weekend and it should be a spectacular challenge in color. Please remember to bring bug repellant and a lunch or you might find painting to be a perfect battle in the making.  After  the paint-out we will go to a restaurant to offer positive comments on our work. If you would like to paint with us please consider coming out for the day. And do continue to read and complete on your own the "Walking In This World" book by Julia Cameron. There are only two weeks left including week 11: Discovering a Sense of Authenticity and week 12: Discovering a Sense of Dignity.

I wish you all a creativity productive week, filled with compliments, like kisses through the veil,

Michael E. Vermette
Coordinator of the Plein Air Connection


If you find this newsletter encouraging, please forward it to another person who might consider it helpful. If you have read this newsletter and would like to join the newsletter list please go to https://www.michaelevermette.com and sign up by clicking the Newsletter. Happy Painting!