The Island is a Motif- On Monhegan

The allure of being out at sea on a crag of rock is hard to explain.  But there are many compelling reasons and supports to being 12 miles out in the Atlantic.   This year in late October we took the Laura B., the small ferry over to be there in the off season with the only part of the 40 year round residents still there.  All the restaurants were closed and it had a feel of a real town with a quiet rhythm.

Above- Monhegan Sunrise- A 30" x 36" Oil on linen by the author

This year the light was clear and capable - as was last year as well.  Capacious light as it holds the ability to bring out the form and feel.  The crisp air the elemental nature of granite protruding everywhere is all part of the mix.   But the walk over to the far side, the eastern shore and cliffs was one of the quieter moments.  The trails are rugged ruts really- strewn with a vast web of roots and rocks with occasional planked walkways over what were boggy bottom areas.   

The two cliffs that we perched on were BurntHead and White Head.   The latter has been the source of inspiration for many painters..  White Head is a V-shaped cove that funnels the waves toward a bulwark of dark rocks.  Two paintings of this area were done by Robert Henri and his student George Bellows at the beginning of the 20th century.  Coincidentally, the two works were hung together at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockport, ME.  A docent was leading a tour when I arrived and asking the attendees which version they preferred.  Henri's version of 1903 is a small panel with the black rocks bringing out the swirling waves in quick process strokes.  The work is glossy and rendered almost greasy,  We are told he painted in a frenzy on this trip making dozens of studies.  We can relate to his enthusiasm for the island as a fulsome opportunity. Bellows' larger canvas of 1913 is a tighter rendition with more space and atmosphere.  Some in the audience voted for the finished appearance of the Bellows.

I only sketched here- casually.  Noticing the surge of waves occasionally as Linda would try to alert me to a particular high rising dramatic white spray.    Earlier this year I painted a sunrise of the view at White head.   On our return walk we came upon a woman harvesting kale and other veggies and loading them in the back of her small flatbed truck.  She hummed nicely as she picked the verdant green clusters- and offered us a bunch to take back.

We walked the same paths that those artists traversed back in the day.  How did they arrive up there so far from their comfortable abodes in New York City?  What were their art supplies and other gear like? Trains perhaps and may sailboats to get there.  Our automobile and cushy cottage accommodations were probably much more genteel than they had.   Still the energy and elements are remarkably the same over the last 100 years or so.    

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Hopper and Rockwell Kent were also represented in the Farnsworth show.  The docent was delicately remarking about Kent's outspoken lefty sensibility.  A painting of his  of a lone rock in raking sideways afternoon light captures the feel of the island nicely.   It was mentioned that the rock could somehow serve as metaphor for Kent's implacable individualism and staying the course regardless of the winds of the McCarthy era and other political affronts.

I chose some motifs with houses for two small oil studies- similar to the views done last year and a sunset view from the lighthouse also the vantage from last year.  The sunset view was suggested quickly as one must under those fleeting moments.   The sky was putting on a show that was truly spectacular.  The mare's tail clouds of the afternoon that I was painting in the afternoon had now morphed into beautiful giant feathery swirls of pink, orange with some delicate mauves too.

Further on in Maine I favored the harbors for my inspirations. A new harbor with many anchred boats was found near Brunswick out on a peninsula that led to Bailey's Island.   Later, painting in Corea near the Schoodic Peninsula, the bay was painted there at sunset also. Our host at the B&B near Gouldsboro directed us to Raven's Nest, a high perch over the Schoodic.  The light on the surf below over the geometric cliffs was the motif.  A couple happened by, celebrating their wedding that took place out on the precipice 8 years before.      Finally,  a sunrise was painted at Stonington on our last day there.  Arriving there at dawn while everything in view was silhouette.  The sun eventually broke through with a glint on the water that was  definitely hard on the eyes.