Art Spirit Newsletter July 14th, 2021
Sent: 7/16/2021 11:52:12 AM

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"One Door Closed Another Opened

Staying on mission as an artist is perhaps the hardest thing to do as a painter. From time to time we even have to take a hard look at what our mission as an artist actually is. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, many artists have become introspective with their purpose and artistic processes. At this point in my career I was suppose to be retired from public school art education and starting my journey as a full time painter. But that was not meant to be. I just couldn't bring myself to retire during this crisis. So not only did I work all last year, but I learned how to teach on line and become computer savvy. Now I am facing truly my last year of teaching at the Indian Island School on the Penobscot reservation. This year will truly be a year of transition for me as I continue to paint in watercolor and oil and as I hand the mantel of Maine Indian Art Education over to another more qualified than me. I feel like a door is closing for me and one is opening, as I am preparing to take this year to walk through towards the next chapters of my life.

MY BOOK and My Show in August

Ever since the day that my vacation began back in June, I have thrown myself into writing my book, and working with my good friend and editor, Adrienne Piewonski. The book recorded my day-to-day experiences for 14 days in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway back in the summer of 2020. The book and the showing of my paintings are entitled: 50 PLUS ONE referring to the 50th anniversary of the 92 mile waterway being designated as a national wilderness river preserve and the 50 paintings I did in response to each year since of its inception. My book is currently being published through McCarthy Printers and is expected to be available for a book signing at my special opening at the Gleason Fine Art Gallery in Boothbay Harbor on August 6th.

I have received a lot of recognition this summer including a centerfold article called, "Michael Vermette: A Passion for Plein Air" written by Carl Little in the May/June issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine in the special freshwater focus of Painting the Allagash. Carl has also written the foreword in my book, a portion of it reads,

" A committed plein air painter, ready to fend off black flies and deal with rapid changes in the weather, Vermette immerses himself in the landscape as an act of communion. To be one with lakes and rivers, swaying trees, sunrises and sunsets, is as important as painting itself. Indeed, they are inseparable.

In both oil and watercolor Vermette is an action painter, capturing the scene with an immediacy that brings the painting - and landscape -to life. At the same time, he displays a discipline borne of years spent studying and rendering Maine's lakes and rivers, islands and mountains."

Carl Little edited his brother David's book Art of Katahdin, which features several of my paintings. He lives and writes on Mount Desert Island. Gleason Fine Art Gallery has also created a full page advertisement of three of my works in the same issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine featuring three of my paintings. In August they are going to put another full page advertisement of six of my Allagash oil paintings in the August issue of DownEast magazine. DownEast magazine conducted a statewide survey and have voted once again for the second year in a row, Gleason Fine Art, the number one gallery in the State of Maine. It is an honor to end my visiting artist open studio program there by have a very special showing of 53 of my paintings of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. A bi-fold invitation card is being printed out for the opening and book signing by Gleason Fine Art and will go out soon for the show on August 6th, 2021.

The Maine Art Gallery Plein Air Paint Wiscasset 2021

The next Plein Air festival I am participating in is the Maine Art Gallery Plein Air Paint Wiscasset 2021. This event will be taking place in my home town where I attended Wiscasset Elementary school before graduating and moving on to Brunswick in 1972. The festival schedule is as follows:

Wednesday through Friday, July 21-23: All Day Painting

Saturday, July 24; Morning Painting; All wet paintings must be delivered to the art gallery by 11 am on Saturday. Paintings completed may also be dropped off prior to Saturday morning.

Reception and Sale 4:00 to 8:00 pm

Sunday, July 25: Sale from 11:00 am

The Gleason Fine Art Gallery in Boothbay have agreed to bring over 3 of my dried oils and I will be including 4 new wet plein air oils from the week for the reception and Sale on Saturday for a total of 7 paintings. It is expected to be an exciting event. I hope to see some of my past acquaintances and friends at the reception.

Maine Audubon's: Brush With Nature and Hybrid Auction

The Maine Audubon's jury has selected me to participate in the event Maine Audubon's Brush With Nature and auction. This special plein air painting event is scheduled for the fall of Thursday, September 9th to Monday, September 12th of 2021. This year they are inviting plein air painters to be inspired by nature at their sanctuaries to create beautiful paintings outdoors to engage visitors in each artists' artistic process. The paintings will be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting Maine Audubon's education, conservation, and advocacy programs.

I will be painting en plein air at Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary in Elliotsville. The public is invited to watch me while I work. To learn about my location and other sanctuaries, visit: maineaudubon.org/visit

The online auction is scheduled to run through September 25th, 2021. Due to the continuing uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, they are working on a safe plan and appreciate your patience as they work out details of a possible hybrid auction. Online and in-person previews will be available at Gilsland Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Falmouth.

I am very excited to participate in this event, I look forward to creating a painting that reflects the centerpiece of Maine Audubon's north woods presence. Thanks to the surrounding community's support and involvement, more than 4,000 hikers every year have access to this treasured mountain. For anyone who would like to see my painting process at the Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary in Elliotsville, I will post details of my paintout event in my future Fall newsletter envoling times and my exact location.

Four Workshops

I am offering 4 plein air workshops this summer and into the Fall. The first one is with the Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program students through the Friends of Baxter at Daicey Pond and The Ledges in Baxter State Park. I will have 10 students and 2 instructors that I will completely fit out with plein air equipment and supplies for the day to paint up to three 11x 14 inch watercolors of these two locations.