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"A Father and Daughter at Katahdin Falls, Baxter State Park"

a working pencil drawing on Hot Pressed Arches watercolor paper by Michael E. Vermette

        The fourth day of my residency was a complete wash out. It turned out that it would rain all that day. But never the less, I continued to work. I had already resolved to work in the cabin today making it into a make shift studio. I simply worked on 4 drawings and transfers for future paintings that I would have time to complete back in my studio at home. The cabin was damp which is very common in these victorian era cabins, so I built 2 fires through out the day in my wood stove in an attempt to dry it out. By now I'm tired of opening an closing the curtains, and with the cabin being so dark with one large window that allowed an good Northeast light in. So I left them open well into the night, never to close the again, and working under lantern light.  Then I proceeded to organize my drawings the rest of the week. When I first  arrived at Daisey pond on Sunday I virtually hit the ground running, trying to capture as many images on paper that I could. Today was a day to spend recapitulating and reflecting on what I had done so far and the direction of the days to follow. Doing all that drawing gave me a desire to draw more and make working sketches with color and value notes. So I resolved to reduce the size of my pack, carry a portfolio with drawing materials and go to Katahdin Falls  at Katahdin Stream Campground the next day. By the end of the day I felt like I had settled into my creative routine and was excited to hike and draw on location tomorrow.

The weather on the fifth day of my residency was 50% chance of rain and after finishing up on a final transfer drawing onto watercolor paper, I set out to Katahdin Stream Campground at 9 am. I only took with me my set of drawing pencils, water, a lunch,  and a small monochrome palette in case I could do a monochrome watercolor. I hiked up the Hunt Trail starting out at 9:30 am. I reached Katahdin Falls about an hour later and proceeded to do a drawing using only 6B and 8B pencils. It had been here years since I witness the power of these falls. I marveled at how much I had either forgotten or simply missed. There was this beautiful pinkish violet grey everywhere on the wet granite rocks that pressed against the falls as the water flowed down toward me and below my feet. There were lush green moss patches that acted as accents of color that contrasted the pinkish gray rocks. And everything became even more intense when the sun filially broke through, like someone turning up the volume so you could be simply blown away with sound; only this was with color. It was a spectacular show of pattern on the rock and falls that were flowing full due to it raining all night before.  The ground was still wet, so I sat on my rain coat while I took delight in rendering my drawing. I thought to myself, ' who would ever come and find me here that I could paint today?' since I was off the beaten path and had climbed down to a ledge that had a most spectacular view. But I no more than

thought that than I noticed the Tuffs family above me viewing the falls with their platinum blonde twin girls. This was the same family that was nice enough to allow me to paint in front of their cabin (Cabin 5) at Daisey Pond where I witnessed the rainbow a few days ago. I proceeded to ask them if they wanted a better view and If I could photograph then viewing the falls. They all climbed down to where I was

drawing and I showed them my completed drawing. The ledge we were standing on was small so they took turns viewing the falls as I took many photographs of them. The one that really got me was the photo of one of the daughters with her arm around her dad as she pointed up to the falls as if she were trying to point something out. I took over 189 photographs that day venturing atop the falls and capturing hikers throughout the day. It never rained again after the sun broke through. When I got back to Daisey Pond I found that we were invaded by several Canadian geese on the lawn right in front of my cabin. I had to walk right by them as they hissed at me totally unchallenged by my presence and not giving an inch of ground. That night I went out on the lake with a canoe to see where the moon would rise. It was nowhere near Katahdin's peaks as I expected, but to the right as you faced the mountain. At least now I can begin to calculate where the mountain may set, if at all near Double Top Mountain near Kidney Pond. 

A Father and Daughter at Katahdin Falls, Baxter State Park"

a watercolor 28 inches x 38 inches by Michael E. vermette c.2012

When I got home and downloaded my photographs on my Mac I began to realize just how stunning the image of the daughter with he arm around her father was as they viewed Katahdin Falls. I composed it as a vertical so that I could maximize the space and depict the three levels of the falls and the water passing by below where they were standing. I posed the figures off to the right of the falls because I didn't want them to block what they were viewing. If I had the whole family in that small space they would have done just that. I also liked how they had their arm around each other as they pointed, giving a added feeling of height and danger being only a step away.  The father's powerful hand is securely holding his daughter as she points to what she is amazed at. The whole idea of my residency was to capture just this type of thing; of people enjoying the park and sharing with their families the amazing beauty of this place. I love how the golden hair of the child falls to her shoulders as the water of the falls does. I like to repeat shape as much as possible because I think it makes the painting more Homogeneous. The falls and water were prepared with a whiting ground made with China Clay so that I could have two different surfaces and scape and life back to white paper. It is an old English watercolor formula that I learned from a painter friend of mine, Ann Hubert whom at the time owned the estate of James Fitzgerald. It was painted on Twinrocker heavy weight handmade watercolor paper that was made in a cold pressed grain. There is a wide assortment of violets and blues that I used in the painting because I just love the spotted light patterns on the figures and the falls. I wanted the viewer to have the feeling of refrigerated cooled air coming up from the ledges and the hope of the bright sun bathing the moving water. Although I haven't mentioned it yet, there was a roar of the falls that was present all day and that had a tranquil effect on me. 

"Holly's Catch" a watercolor 26 inches by 36 inches by Michael E. Vermette

of Holly Hamilton catching a trout at Kidney Pond in Baxter State Park.

I just received a letter that was dated March, 8th that said the following: 

Dear Artist:

CONGRATULATIONS!

Your painting has been accepted for inclusion in our 13th Biennial North American Open Show, which will take place at the Attleboro Arts Museum on April 19th through May 12th. From the large number of submissions, 66 were chosen for the exhibit. We hope you will attend the opening reception and awards ceremony on April 28th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. 

Sincerely,

Bill Lane , Exhibition Chair

Jack Haran, President New England Watercolor Society

Canoe Paddlers At Kidney Pond, Baxter State Park

Oil on linen 29 inches by 34 inches by michael E. Vermette

Back in my studio on Indian Island I worked the composition of the canoe paddlers

from Virgina on a larger course linen. I relied on the watercolor study to get the size

of Double Top Mountain right as well as the proportions of the reflection. I took

multiple photographs that day of the mountain and of the people canoeing. I took

various different photos of my canoe as well that was brought along side an old

weathered fallen log. But the problem with relying on photographs, although they

are great for detail reference, is that they distort the image because of the convex

nature of the lens. So I adjusted the photo image with the painted study I made to

make it become more like what I witnessed that day. I did this by making Double

Top Mountain larger as in my study, leaving the middle ground alone while adding

the canoers, and decreasing the foreground by adding more information like my

canoe, the log, and the branches underwater where the rest of the tree had fallen

into the pond. In order to do this I had to value my painted study more than the

photo representation. This ultimately gave Double Top Mountain a substantial

presence and a timelessness to the image while the fallen silver gray spruce added

contrasting change. I  also wanted to add a sense of movement and scale by adding

the paddlers and including as much of the experience as I had witnessed that day.

I had just set my easel up and started painting the watercolor study in the morning,

when minutes later this image played out as it does so many time at Kidney Pond. 

It is visually exciting to witness how paddlers break the mirroring reflections of the

mountain and the rich tranquil forest that lines the early morning lake.  Kidney

Pond is a wonderful location to view multiple mountains from the water's edge

and a favorite paddling adventure for many.

              Holly's Catch at Kidney Pond, Baxter State Park

      a watercolor 25 3/4 inches by 35 3/4 inches by Michael E. Vermette

    This is my newest painting of the Katahdin Lake Wilderness Camp

guide Holly Hamilton catching a trout at Kidney Pond in Baxter State

Park.  It will be on display as part of Art In The Heart's Educator's

Exhibit. the Exhibit is located at the Bangor Public Library Lecture

Hall for the Month of March 2012. The opening reception is 5PM to

6;30 PM, Wednesday, March 7th. Library hours are Monday Through

Thursday 9 am to 8 PM, and Friday to Saturday 9 am to 5 PM. The

Library is closed on Sunday.

    This is one of the paintings thatwill be feature in an upcoming

Baxter State Park Artist in Residence show in July at the North

Light Gallery in Millinocket, Maine this summer. All are invited to

attend and enjoy our work and see the excellent art of our local

art educators.