This painting was the winner of the Lauren Coleman Award in the 12th Biennial North American show of the New England Watercolor Society. It is a painting of Katahdin Lake Maine Guide Holly Hamilton catching a trout at Daicey Pond in Baxter State Park, Maine. Michael asked Holly to pose in the canoe as he took many photos of her catching a prize fish. All of the photo's of Holly were actually taken at Katahdin Lake in Baxter State Park. But the background tree that blew over and it's silvery roots were actually a sceen painted from Michael's studies and photos of Kidney Pond.
Michael explains, " I just really like the knarly weatherbeaten roots of the tree blown over near the shore. It reminded me of watercolors by Winslow Homer painted in the Adironkacks. The bend of the pole became an repetition of the bend in the roots."
Michael used an English whiting ground on his paper before painting made of China Clay in the area of the side of the boat and the Roots of the tree so that he could make a different texture than the paper, allowing the objects to pop and stand out more. The judge of the NEWS art exhibit was nationally recognized watercolor painter Tom Lynch. Michael got a chance to talk with him at the workshop he took with him that year and at breakfast since they discovered that they happened to be staying at the same Motel in Attleborough, Massechusetts. Over coffee, Tom encourage Michael to continue painting without changing a thing in the way he worked.
