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THE PLEIN AIR CONNECTION July 9th continued


"Wonderland Roses" a watercolor 20 x 26 inches by Michael E. Vermette

Tuesday morning started out with a storm front moving through the Ellsworth area with the rain ending at around 9 am. It was sunny in Old town were I live, the roads getting wetter in appearance as I got closer to Ellsworth by 9:15 am.  As  I met up with my companions we shared about the forecast that showed showers in the afternoon with a 40 percent chance of rain. Needless to say The Plein Air Connection group went anyway and the good news is that it never rained for whole the time we painted on site at Wonderland Trail in Acadia National Park. We left Dunkin Donuts at about 9:30 am with this feeling to quickly get there and hopefully produce a painting before it rained again. We car-pooled together and there were three of us, Becky Whight, Karsten Kittleson and myself.


Michael E. Vermette painting on site at Wonderland trail, Acadia National Park

The anxious feeling about wasting no time getting there got me thinking about "time" and how we tend to believe there is "no time." The reality is, we have "plenty of time." We like to think that the pace of our time is not our own, but in fact it really is. Feeling that we are falling behind, we often want to race ahead  saying "there's not enough time in the day." This day, even though we had a forecast of 40 percent rain in the afternoon, it didn't rain until after 5:oo PM. It was beautifully overcast which created a diffused light that permeated the seascape of orange granite, bluish teal green waters and island roses. The tide was coming in and we could see Cranberry  and Little Cranberry Island in the distance, which became completely obscured by fog as the day progressed. We actually had potentially, eight hours to paint although we used six of those hours that included travel in Karsten's van, hiking to and from the site, setting up and breaking down. My point is this: We should make our creative selves a priority, and our time on location our own.  I think Pablo Picasso puts it the best in his quote, " The important thing is to create. Nothing else matters; creation is all."


"Wonderland , Acadia National Park" and oil on canvas by Karsten Kittelson

We want time without looming fears, comments or concerns which seldom exists for most of us as plein air painters. We must learn to use time as effectively and efficiently as we can by using small windows of opportunity with enthusiasm, life and energy. When we procrastinate by seeking vast stretches of time without the possibility of negative circumstances, we are actually seeking to "psych"  ourselves up so that we can produce an inspired masterpiece. When we look at a place like Wonderland Trail from the comfort of our homes miles away, we must remember we only get a sense of the view outside of the experience. This is why we must be careful of making a decision to paint or not paint on location when we are at home. We must walk the Wonderland Trail to actually assess what to ultimately can do with our time. And when we pick a location to paint it should never be because it's something we can do. It should always be something we would do if we had the time, because we actually do have the time to always do something. When we allow our circumstances to make us feel we don't have the time we are making plein air painting more of  a "big deal"  than we should and this leads to an unhealthy obsession. This is the obsession of being so fixed on our creative longing that we force outcomes and forget that the joy of plein air painting and actually being present to the work at hand is everything. This is an obsession that actually in the end  eats up your time, because even when we try to be present to the work, we are in another place altogether. 


"Wonderland Fog" an 8 x 10 inch oil on panel by Becky Whight

Our creativity is a lot like love-making in a marriage. As artists we're not on our first date and we must make room for bad days, show up to the canvas and paint even when we are not in the mood for our muse. We have to allow ourselves and our art the freedom to make a bad painting in imperfect conditions in order for something great to happen. Perfection is very hard to live with, but improvisation on the other hand is a sweet romance, even when you don't have time or a long candlelight dinner! 


Becky Whight at Wonderland Trail in Acadia National Park

So I painted with these thoughts, deciding to show up on the page, taking care of the quantity and let God take care of the quality. If it rained, I had an umbrella. If it turned out bad, it became a quality problem that God would take care of with me later. maybe i could paint over it. No matter, I decided to be willing to focus on what I paint and what was beautiful in the moment and not allow myself to be hurried along with the threat of inclement weather. I found it to be amazingly freeing and the painting of the color and tones stunning. I could focus easier and even painted through lunch, because I was so engaged in the joy of the process. When I speak of joy I don't mean to imply silliness or idiocy. I speak of it in the same way that made Karsten exclaim, "This is the Life!" when painting and pausing for a moment next to me on location.  

This all makes me think about my perception of time as being a tempo that I could set rather than it managing me. It was a matter of composing in timelessness, where hours would go by like minutes. After all, that is  the "High State Of Order" that Robert Henri spoke of in his book "The Art Spirit." It's what we are all really after anyway.  To be in that place where no matter how fast-paced the day is running, we are "On Time" and making the most of it. 

Thanks everyone for making this a great preparation for me for when I paint at Cape Elizabeth for the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust's "Paint for Preservation" this Sunday. Whatever happens I know I will paint a beautiful painting that will be right on time and in season.

Have a creative week everyone and choose to be "right on time" this week,

Michael E. Vermette
Coordinator of the Plein Air Connection

PS  We went to the Union River Lobster Pot in Ellsworth and had terrific haddock sandwiches. They allowed us to have a critique in their screened porch area and the experience was very enjoyable. It opens at 4 PM which was perfect for the time we finished on location.
For more information on this restaurant we recommend go to http://lobsterpot.com/site/

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