A few more from Monhegan

OK these are six pieces that I have OK (?) photos of and can post today.. I am trying to get out the door for some painting as the weather is not gray as forecasted.. I will write more on the stories that go with some of these when the weather is not so good... which should be soon..

Big News

I am sorry for not posting.. I have been trying to write about the great news of my wife Raquele having, then passing her citizenship test then being sworn in as an American Citizen.. Everytime I try to write about how happy I am for us and proud I am of her I sound jaded and really pissed off for the story that leads up to this moment.. So I will hopefully be able to write about it soon....til then, I'm proud of you Raquele.

Back in Bristol

OK ...where to begin..?. well I am back in Bristol and have many days, painting adventures, and paintings to sift through from my Monhegan residency... hopefully I will get a few of those stories on here and some more pics of the work to go with them.. I came back from just about 4 weeks there with 73 paintings, some are closer to sketches and some have more of a "finish" but all have a story... The top one of the Lighthouse and the bell was my last piece on the Island its a 22"x28" and the bottom one from Fish Beach is an 11x14" .

I feel that my main goal of growth during this residency was accomplished. No I don't mean from the food on the Island,,,which was delicious, I must say.. But as far as really developing "my" filter and what I want to see on the canvas... The growth/self belief that comes when a group of people like M.A.R.C. (Monhegan Artist Residency Corp) believes in the artistic direction you are heading and puts their funds and name with your name to prove it.. It really helps me see what I'm doing in a new light.. not compromising my painting for current trends or giving up.

I am not saying I'm there yet and that I am not influenced by other artists, because I am but I have discovered that I am mostly interested in and inspired by Color, Paint(the physical look), and the story that is told through an Image....(not in that order..?.) These may seem mundane or the norm to some but these simple (hard to find) absolute truths are like digits in a lottery drawing. Only by finding out what your numbers are and then playing them repeatedly will you have a chance to win. (figuratively speaking of course) To find out these digits or truths I find that really looking at and into works of mine and others and asking "why do I hate this one?" "Why am I compelled to stare at this one?" "why is this one making me happy?" " why am I rambling?" :) OK I slipped that in to see if you were awake still.. long story short I am (finally) learning to truly value what I see... Thank you to M.A.R.C.! , John Blamey, Colin Page, My lovely Wife Raquele (sorry your 4th honey), my parents and family, last but not least Arthur and Isabella Corwin. I know I have thanked you all before and it might seem redundant but now I know what I'm thanking you all for..

"Are you painting here for the Summer? or just the season?" ....................a random visitor talking to me while painting on Monhegan

" You can't win if you don't play" lottery commission.

Monhegan or Bust!.... or Viva Monhegan!..?.

OK this is my last post..... ..don't be sad I'll be back. I'm leaving tomorrow morning for my residency on Monhegan. This lasts from Aug 9th til Sept 12th so If your on the Island say hello. If your looking I'm a pretty big guy and I will be painting,,I'm not he tallest or the biggest but I am pretty close to both lol.. I will be keeping a journal of my trip while there (hopefully) and won't be able to check in here til I'm back.

I have left a group of different pieces here for your viewing pleasure (or dismay)

I still have packing to do and its saturday afternoon so I can't really build up to a strong ramble here.. But I am leaving 3 quotes to help hold you over til the next exciting installment.....

To all those who helped me & support me Thank you! If I haven't said it a thousand times then I have not said it enough.. Thank you. take care all and leave a comment I would really like to hear from the regular readers and the people I see that have checked in all the way from Europe and Asia and especially Iraq.. let me know whose out there reading this, Thanks and Take care, Dan

Quote: "Knowing how to paint and to use one's colours rightly has not any connection with originality. This originality consists in properly expressing your own impressions."-- French Artist Thomas Couture (1815-1879)

Quote 2:"Painting should never look as if it were done with difficulty, however difficult it may actually have been."-- Robert Henri

Quote 3:"I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns."-- Winston Churchill

The General

This piece is of one of my favorite structures in Round Pond,, its an old Antiques dealer but I don't think it s anymore.. Here's an interesting (to me) story of the property: Last Fall, late fall actually, I was attempting to paint some boats from my usual spot in Round Pond and this "gentleman" pulled up in a truck and started to pull all the dock pieces and some dingys off the lawn of this red building and drag them towards the water. (at the end of the season the docks get disassembled and dragged up for the winter some stay in the parking lot and others ended up on this lawn) I could hear him talking to himself from about 80-100' away and as he dragged these items closer to me it was easy to hear that he was practicing for the four letter word Olympics... So being an ex-boyscout ..?. I offered to give him a hand... he reluctantly accepted help with a larger dingy and when I inquired as to why he was so pissed off, he responded sharply explaining that he bought the property during the season (clean lawn season to him) and didn't know that his new land was the Bays storage during the off season.. So I guess the lesson I could take from that is get pissed off when there is more people to help you... :)=)

Just to clear up the title of the last post, it is a sarcastic response to the people whose mantra is "Speak english, its America" I realize this will alienate some readers but maybe that's because you are wrong.... These fences/borders were put up by man and just because your ancestors have already been here awhile doesn't mean the doors close.. Just because you speak one language doesn't make any other language wrong.. Evolve!

Quote: "Genius is the ability to renew one's emotions in daily experience." Paul Cezanne.

Flor Bonita,,oh wait Im in America, I better speak Indian..

This was painted about a week or so ago. I was painting with the Maine Plein Air Painters and could not stop looking at this flower.... so I painted it.

I felt really neutral while painting this,, I didn't try to add anything or really take too much away.. just painted it. I really wanna be there with all my work...

Quote:"Colour helps to express light, not the physical phenomenon, but the only light that really exists, that in the artist's brain." Henri Matisse

Pieces of America

This week I'm really counting my chickens and getting ready for Monhegan. I have been gluing linen to gatorfoam board, making monster paint orders, and picking the little things out of my studio (area) that I wont be able to live without for 5 weeks.. Also making "packing lists", boat reservations and figuring out how to get back in time for the Waldoboro "Paint the Town" (Aug 15th) my favorite plein air paint event. Oh yeah Ive been painting a bit to..

Anybody that has recommendations for what to pack please leave a comment I would rather hear "Bug spray" 10 times then forget or not think of..

Quote: "Why do people think artists are special? It's just another job."Andy Warhol (1928-87).

That guy makes me laugh...?.