Brooding Katadin From, Katahdin Lake Island, Baxter State Park, Maine

Watercolor on Heavy Weight Twinrocker Cold Pressed - 18 3/4 inches x 24 3/4 inches x 300lb heavy weight watercolor paper - Available

$1,200.00 USD

Representation

Michael E. Vermette Fine Art
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207-827-7573

Artist Comments

"Brooding Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine"

Michael E. Vermette captured this image en plein air from the island of Katahdin Lake in Baxter State Park, Maine. The island is located at the southwestern end of the lake and offers a spectacular view of Katahdin. He is using an impressive range of color tones that are translucent and pure, yet bold enough to describe the mountain's mood. This painting was created just before a storm was descending upon the mountain and lake in a peak fall foliage day. The lake took on a beautiful greenish tint as what only happens just before a storm and the wind begins to pick up as with the waves. This painting evokes the emotion of rawness and beauty found in the sudden turn of weather that happens on these lakes in Baxter State Park. In fact, Governor Baxter named this place, Katahdin Lake, the Jewel of the Park, even though he wasn't able to purchase it in his life time. Now it is a part of Baxter State Park, forever to be enjoyed by both adventurers and artists alike.

Michael says, "I have been caught up in a sudden storm on Katahdin Lake before. It can come up on you very quickly and be quite a powerful experience if you are out on the water. But in this painting the weather started to change to a foreboding weather pattern halfway through the completion of the watercolor on location. Yet, I was very fortunate with my timing. The skys opened up just minutes after I returned to camp about an hour after these storm clouds were brewing over Katahdin. I was thankful that the storm was slow moving and that the camp wasn't too far from the island in the lake. I love this composition of Katahdin from the beach of this island and have painted it several time here, particularly in the Fall, in both colored watercolor versions and monochrome watercolors. And this day I was very fortunate, because even though It's very true that you are only able to paint what the mountain environment allows you to paint, especially en plein air, you can sometimes get rewarded if you paint what is before you in the moment. And even though it was kind of like taking a tiger by the tail, I am very thankful for that day and the painting experience that I barely got away with."

This is an watercolor painting made on location while the weather was changing and the environment was in flux. So Michael went with the painting in the moment by capturing his pure and bold range of transparent washes. Michael uses a descriptive stroke that describes lines of power, motion, and shape in describing the character of Katahdin, yet he paints with a subtlety that captures even the lightest veils of light upon the descending clouds in motion as they begin to cover the peaks. He painted this painting on a handmade Twinrocker heavy weight watercolor paper. He uses only pure Holbein watercolor and Daniel Smith mineral watercolor pigments to achieve the color and the textural grain that is most prized by watercolor painters who have painted on this amazing paper, specially designed and sized for the watercolor medium. He also wets the back of the paper to create even more of a riche statement of color in his washes.

Michael also says, "I am intrigued with the timelessness in change in my paintings. They show a love of color and light with emphasis on the expressive painterly mark and form, which evoke a recognizable feeling, a nostalgic memory, or even emotional qualities such as the smell of salt and balsam in the morning ocean air."

Carl Little writes in Volume 30 of The Island Journal, " Michael Vermette, who emulates the vision of one of Monhegan island's great painters of the past, James Fitzgerald (1899-1971), adds impasto oomph to iconic views"

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