Spring Thaw

One of the many little trout treams that abound in Maine, ready for the first fishermen!  I love fresh caught trout, cooked over an open fire!  This scene is from Trescott, Maine.

This is an 8x10 oil on canvasboard, beautifully framed, priced at $300. This one is now at ARTSANDCRAFTSOFMAINE in Lubec.

Friends of Baxter State Park Benefit Auction

Several members of my painting group, the Plein Air Connection, me included, were selected to participate in a benefit paint-out and live auction on July 24.  We scattered along the Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor and captured our favorite scenes, returning to 51 Thomas Hill Road to frame our wet paintings.  Here is a (bad) snapshot of my painting, an 11x14 oil on canvasboard.  The title is Lover's Leap, Kenduskeag Stream.

 

 

It was purchased by Mr. & Mrs. York of Millinocket, Maine.  Thank you!

Plein Air at Wonderland Trail, Mt. Desert Island

Painted with the Plein Air Connection group yesterday on the rocky shore of Mt. Desert Island.  Michael Vermette and Becky Wight and I all braved the foggy hike, set up and painted our three little masterpieces.  Here's mine (unfinished, may be updated later.)

 



 This is an 11x14 oil on canvasboard - to see more detail on our trip, go to http://michaelevermette.com and click on latest blog post.  Contact me at 207-266-6027 for price and availability of this and all my other paintings, or email me at kittelsen@aol.com.

Plein Air in Columbia Falls, Maine

I helped the town of Columbia Falls celebrate their 150th birthday today; painted in the misty rain from 7am to 2pm.  The painting was sold at a silent "wet auction" after the event.  It was fun, but I prefer sunshine!

This is Union Hall, which is where the event was coordinated and the auction took place.  Delightful old building!

Gull Rock - Monhegan

This week I had the pleasure of participating in a plein air workshop on Monhegan with the excellent artists and instructors Michael Vermette and Eric Glass.  We hiked across the island and down to the Eastern shore, where we painted a view of Gull Rock from the North (a scene painted many times by a number of famous artists).  It was an amazing experience and learning opportunity.  Here is my 11x14 painting.

Here is a photograph of Michael Vermette and a couple of the students in the group.

Thank you, Michael!

Painting with "Authority"

One of my instructors once said that you need to get to know your subject; go over there and look at it closely, touch it, stand on it, if you can.  When you do that, you can paint with more "authority".  Following his advice, I have tried to immerse myself into everything I paint.  I hiked the trails, hunted the moose and deer in the Maine Northwoods, canoed on the rivers, fished the trout, cooked, and ate it.  I bought a lobsterboat and caught lobsters, photopraphed lobsterboats, islands along the coast, the brakers on the rocks.  Following that same philosophy, the other day I went out with two local fishermen fishing for halibut.  Here are some of the photos I took, "on location."

Nice catch, boys!

Friends of Baxter State Park

The Friends of Baxter State Park are organizing a Plein Air Paint Out on July 24th, and I have been juried in to participate.  Also, the selected artists have been asked to submit one painting to be sold at an online auction prior to the paint out.  This little 9x12 bear picture is my entry.

Information regarding the auction may be obtained from Suzanne Brewer at suzbrew@roadrunner.com.