"Art Studio Sheds at Zimmie's Cottage, Monhegan Island, Maine"

Oil on Gypsum Gesso Panel on Oil on Gypsum Cradled Panel - 8 inches x 10 inches x 1 inch - Sold

$200.00 USD

Representation

Michael E. Vermette Fine Art
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207-827-7573

Artist Comments

"Art Studio Sheds at Zimmie's Cottage, Monhegan Island, Maine"

Michael E. Vermette captured this fresh plein air oil sketch in an early July morning on Monhegan Island from the dining room window of Zimmie's Cottage. Located near the Lunpine Gallery, Zimmie's Cottage is a rental through the Island Inn, for artists to stay and paint on Monhegan Island.Michael started painting this image at 5 am in the morning hoping to capture the beautiful island light upon the flowers leading up to the Studio art sheds.

Michael says, "I love to paint the grays found in these shacks that were saturated with the morning light. The flowers on a coastal island seem so much bigger and brighter, especially these that lined the path and that brought you right up to where the art studio shed was located behind the cottage"

This is an oil painted study made on location in Michael's impasto style of thick strokes of paint on a solid alabaster stone-coated birch cradled panel, as used by the Italian masters. These masters totally left out the use of turpentine and other solvents because it dulled their colors and eventually caused them to crack. They discovered that by Mixing black oil wax medium to their oil paint it not only improved the viscosity of the paint, but it increased its richness and offered an amazing velvety sheen in appearance that would never crack. Michael makes this medium himself and uses it in his impasto paintings just as the Italian master's did. It is extremely archival. He mixes it with his pure Williamsburg handmade painting pigments to the consistency of peanut better and it supports the integrity of every one of his expressive painterly marks that he doesn't try to hide in the painting.

As with other great impasto painters from Titian to Van Goah, Michael uses a descriptive stroke that describes lines of power, rhythm, motion,color and shape in describing the character of these coastal shed arrayed with island flowers. He paints in an impasto (thick) style using assorted palette knives and occasional thick loaded brush strokes and an Italian Black Oil Wax medium that he makes himself and that sets him apart from other artists. He adds this medium to the oil paint to not only increase the oil paint's viscosity but to actually preserve the character and luster of every stroke of the artist. It also improves the color to a brighter velvety semi-transparent glow. This painting is also painted on a highly prized Gypsum Gessoed (Alabaster Stone coated gesso formula) over a kiln dried birch panel that is cradled to never warp which he prepares himself. This painting does not come framed but is ready to set in beautifuly in a plein air or floater frame for a lifetime of enjoyment as a jewel on your wall.

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"

Michael E. Vermette double majored in Painting and Printmaking at the Maine College of Art, receiving his B.F.A Painting degree in 1980. He received his Certification in K-12 Art Education in 1986 through the University of Maine at Orono. A full-time artist and part-time art educator, Michael has been painting in oil, watercolor, and pastel for over fifty years and has won numerous awards for his work, including the Marilyn Sabin, Lauran Coleman and the Beverly Awards at the 12th,13th and 14th Biennial North American Open Shows of the New England Watercolor Society where he has been awarded signature membership. Most recently, Has been been awarded the honor of being the 1st Allagash Wilderness waterway artist-in-residency for the summer of 2020 where has painted another 51 small studies. Michael has also been the 2018 first place winner of the Castine Plein Air Festival, and a 2015-2017 winner as well. He won Best of Show in the Kennebunk River Club Art Exhibit and Sale for his watercolor, "Sea Dog". Michael leads several oil and watercolor plein air painting workshops in Maine and New Hampshire throughout the year. He is a Monhegan Artists' Residency Fellow and the 2011 Baxter State Park Artist-in-Residence in Maine. He was also an Artist-in-Residence at Acadia National Park twice in 1999 and 2006. His watercolors, oils, and pastels are in private collections throughout the country and internationally. In Maine, his works have been shown at various galleries and is currently represented by the Frame and Art Gallery in Yarmouth, The Lupine Gallery on Monhegan Island, and the Gleason Fine Art Gallery in Boothbay Harbor, all located in Maine. Because of the very high quality of the painting the starting price is set at 1/4 of the painting's worth. Because of this high quality and the confidence with quality custom shipping, I do not allow money back returns at this time.

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