William B. Hoyt on “Underway”

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“A few years ago, a friend of mine, Frank, bought this amazing boat. He and his brother sailed it over from Europe.  She was built for the North Sea, so she’s a hearty vessel. Crossing over is a real learning process, but Frank is a very brave man.

This particular trip was in late September/early October, and started in Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine. We were headed to the most beautiful place, Roque Island. We entered in through the little islands you see in the distance, and we found ourselves in this perfectly calm water. In front of us was a mile of white sand beach which is very atypical of in Maine.

The island belongs to the Gardner family. They have keepers who live there. It is now a working farm; animals and horses and beautiful buildings.  They are happy to have boats anchor and go on the beach, but at the wooded line it becomes private.

This particular image was from our last morning, and the sun was just coming up through the scrim of cloud. We were underway – chugging out. The sea ducks were taking off,  barely skimming the surface. It is an incredible, undisturbed spot.”

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To read more stories from William B. Hoyt regarding his work at Maine Art, click here –  Artist Insights – William B. Hoyt.

Hoyt’s one-man show will be running through September 5 at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. We are open from 11am – 5pm every day. Please come by and visit.

You can also view his entire show on-line at William Hoyt at Maine Art Shows.

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William B. Hoyt – Hawaiian Waves

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Hawaiian Waves – Moluahah Bay, Kauai

“I’ll tell you something about these waves…

Hawaiian waves are much more powerful than waves on the East Coast. They are coming out of water that is 10,000 feet deep.  When they approach the land, the land isn’t shoaled. There are no shallows. The islands are basically mountains, and they are a 70 degree angle. They go to the bottom of the sea. When these things feel the bottom, they’re feeling the bottom just before they break. A six foot wave has power.”

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This is where he starts to chuckle, as does his wife, Kathy, whose desk is within earshot. “I have surfed on the East Coast, and I have bodysurfed in Hawaii with a boogie board. And that is a story.”

Each time a new story starts, Hoyt takes a second to reflect on the memory. In his mind the images come back coupled with the senses that complete the scene.

“We were at a beach on Kauai, and this wave picked me up and just drove me down into the sand. It basically crammed my head into my neck,” he begins to stammer in recollection.  “So, I was standing there with stars in my eyes, holding my head, when I hear these twelve-year-old boys next to me say, ‘Boy did you see that old guy just get barreled?’ “

“Oh, I got barreled—wicked.”

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To read more stories from Hoyt regarding his work at Maine Art, click here –  Artist Insights – William B. Hoyt.

Hoyt’s one-man show will be running through September 5 at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. We are open from 11am – 5pm every day. Please come by and visit.

You can also view his entire show online at William Hoyt at Maine Art Shows.

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William Hoyt on Vermont and Margarite Williams

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Margarite Williams

“I ended up in Bellows Falls, Vermont in 1971 while visiting friends. One of them had discovered photography, and he was spending a lot of time down at the railroad station. In the station was the Depot Lunch and News, and the sole proprietor, Margarite Williams. She had come down to work at the age of sixteen from St. Johnsbury. Years later, the place was threatened with closing due to railroad business being way down. A local businessman, who liked having breakfast there, bought the place and sold it to Margarite for one dollar under the condition she would stay. She was installed in the Bellows Falls Train Station with a little room in the back.  There was a paper company still working, and the railroad workers, and then hippies like us. ‘Young people’. There was a wave of young people who overwhelmed Vermont in the 70’s. I had just gotten out of the Navy.  I never went home, I’ve been here ever since.

Margarite Williams was a sweet wonderful woman, probably in her sixties. We would come in and sit on these old, art deco style stools that spun around and had red plastic seats. The Formica countertop was worn away from so many elbows. My friend, Gregory, was down there a lot and would come back and give slide shows at the house, which was slowly becoming a commune. It was the three of them when I moved in. At most, I think we got up to about thirteen people living in the old farm house.

Every May 11th, we celebrated her birthday, which we have continued to do even years after her death. We’ve gathered down at the station decades after she passed away. She had a very nurturing way, and she really listened. She just had a wonderful way of speaking. She had a cat whose name was Tig and geraniums in the windows. It was an endearing scene. We were sort of her ‘lost boys.’”

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To read more stories from William B. Hoyt regarding his work at Maine Art, click here –  Artist Insights – William B. Hoyt.

Hoyt’s one-man show will be running through September 5 at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. We are open from 11am – 5pm every day. Please come by and visit.

You can also view his entire show on-line at William Hoyt at Maine Art Shows.

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A Bit About Emma

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Emma C. Berry is a beautiful little fishing-sloop at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. She is one of the oldest surviving commercial vessels in America and the last known surviving American well smack. Well smacks were designed to keep the catch alive through an internal water-filled compartment, known as a wet well. Seawater circulated through large holes in the bottom planking. She was built in 1866 at the Palmer Shipyards in Noank, Connecticut by James A. Latham.

She was named for Captain John Henry Berry’s daughter.  In 1886, she was rigged as a schooner,  and in 1916, a gasoline engine was added. She has undergone many restorations and is presently restored to her original configuration and period.

In 1992, for the first time in 106 years, the Emma C. Berry sailed from Mystic Seaport down to Fishers Island Sound under sloop rig.

She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

Hoyt captured Emma and her harbor mate, Annie, in a photograph back in September of 2015 before her latest restoration took place.

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To read more stories from Hoyt regarding his work at Maine Art, click here –  Artist Insights – William B. Hoyt.

Hoyt’s one-man show will be running through September 5 at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. We are open from 11am – 5pm every day. Please come by and visit.

You can also view his entire show online at William Hoyt at Maine Art Shows.

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William B. Hoyt – A One-Man Show at Maine Art Hill 2018

Maine Art Hill is happy to announce the opening of William B. Hoyt’s one man show on Saturday, September 22. This show is being held at The Gallery at Maine Art Hill at 14 Western Ave in Kennebunk. We want to invite everyone to attend his Artist Reception on Saturday evening from 5 pm -7 pm where you can meet Hoyt and see his new work. This show is open every day and runs through October 11.

William B. Hoyt’s studio is contained in a cupola on the top of his beautiful home in Hartland, Vermont. With a view of New Hampshire, this artist’s oasis is where the magic has happened for over twenty-five years. He spends most winter days up in his sunlit room working on the inspiration he found during his summertime wanderings.

Having a studio in your home allows for a bit of fluctuation in a schedule, but still, Hoyt attempts an eight hour day when he is at home.  There are usually breaks for dog walking and lunch, but many hours are spent at the easel. On average, Hoyt takes two-and-a-half to three weeks to complete a painting. However, he recalls one that took him almost ten weeks from start to finish.

Hoyt says, “There is an old feller up in Barnard, Vermont, by the name of Bill Cobb. One day, someone asked him how many hours he worked a day.  He said he worked from ‘can ’til can’t.’ That’s me.”

The first step when beginning a painting is choosing a surface. Hoyt’s varies depending on what his subject is. From canvas to panel, the texture is a factor in the decision of which one to choose. The more detail, the smoother the surface.

“I change my work surface frequently and experiment with how paint mixtures interact with each. If I am working on something with a great deal of detail, I choose a panel for the smooth texture.  A rough canvas with lots of tooth will show all the gradations, but makes for a beautiful sky.”

Hoyt is an artist who prefers to sketch out a subject before beginning to paint. For anyone familiar with his work, saying he is detailed is an understatement. Photographic is a term often used when describing a finished Hoyt piece.

“Normally, I sketch on the surface before I begin with any paint, so another variable for me is what I use to draw the image. I tend to use charcoal on a rougher canvas and a pencil on a smoother canvas. Then, on a really smooth canvas, I use a stick of silver. Sometimes, I will use all three depending on the level of detail I want to achieve before I start painting.”

Then comes the decision of medium. Oil paint is the choice, but never does he use it directly from the tube. With a texture of butter, it must be mixed, usually with linseed oil, but even that comes in different forms. Then there are resins that can be added, as well as ingredients to alter drying time. Finding the perfect concoction is an ongoing process that he is continually altering.

“I’m always looking for the ideal mixture,” says Hoyt, “but nothing is ideal. The surface I am painting on effects the behavior of the paint. When I begin a painting, the surface is kind of dry, very white and a little bit rough. As I continue to work and build up paint, it changes. It changes day to day.”

Hoyt can always imagine something better. Every day he tries to reinvent the ideal medium. He makes extensive notes about what he adds, the reaction to the surface and how the paint finishes.“I’m like a cook. I keep track of my recipes,” he says, referring to just one of many dated entries in a book next to his easel.

When experiencing a Hoyt painting, the details are incredible. It takes time to absorb all that has gone into the creation of these fantastic works of art. As much as we try to duplicate in digital, seeing them in person is best.  We hope you have the chance to visit Kennebunk and Kennebunkport and stop in at a Maine Art Hill. Hoyt’s one-man show will be running through October 11. We are open at 10 am every day. Closing hours vary, please check the website for details.

You can also view his entire show online  at William Hoyt at Maine Art Shows

The Virtual Show can be viewed here .

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To read more stories from Hoyt regarding his work at Maine Art, click here –  Artist Insights – William B. Hoyt.

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William Hoyt on the Harbor Fish Market and the Seagull Explosion

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“Kathy and I were in Portland down on Commercial Street. We had been revisiting old venues, and I was feeling a bit uninspired. Walking out on the pier, we looked at different angles. As we were coming back in, a lobsterman pulled up and was loading his traps. As we stood there, more and more seagulls appeared, as if they knew. Then the door to the fish market opened. The man came out with a tub of fish guts or something, and suddenly the air was filled with seagulls. The seagull explosion just caught my eye.

I needed to come back and let the pictures create themselves.

I completed the setting with a few birds, then I had to figure out which birds would make it to the big canvas. This is where the studies began. I had to have many practice panels before I was ready to put them into the large piece. Based on the studies, I started deciding where to place each seagull, or not to place it at all. I would spend a day painting various birds and working the sky and putting clouds in. Then, I’d call Kathy to come up and ask her what she thought. Her response was always the same. ‘Well, there were more birds.’

 

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We have counted forty-five birds in all! The one over next to the traps was the last one I did. When I add an element to a painting, it changes the balance of where I am looking. It became an empty space. It needed a bird.

I also broke lines with a few seagulls. I’ve noticed over the years, artists tend to avoid placing objects over one another. In nature, that doesn’t happen. I’ve tried to make them cross over to make it seem more natural.”

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To read more stories from William B. Hoyt regarding his work at Maine Art, click here –  Artist Insights – William B. Hoyt.

Hoyt’s one-man show will be running through September 5 at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. We are open from 11am – 5pm every day. Please come by and visit.

You can also view his entire show online at William Hoyt at Maine Art Shows.

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A Sculptor in a Painter’s Medium

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In 2009, Rebecca Kinkead moved from a little apartment in Boston to the wide open space of Vermont. Her now husband and partner, Jamey, convinced her to make the move and take six months to focus on painting. This is when her medium changed. This is when many things changed.

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“I was happy,” says Kinkead. “I had worked in acrylics for seven years. I didn’t have the open space or ventilation for oil. Once I moved to Vermont, this was no longer a problem.” It did take almost six years to get to know this new medium, but she will never go back. “Oil is just delicious to work with.”

Kinkead’s process is a bit different from classic oil painting. With the addition of chalk powder and linseed oil, she creates a concoction that she can seriously get her hands into.

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“The old masters would put chalk in their paint. It stabilizes the paint and gives it more luster, more body. When you have it in your medium it tightens everything,” says Kinkead.  “I use a soft wax paste called Dorland’s Wax Medium. I mix it with linseed oil and chalk powder. Its consistency is like soft frosting and mayonnaise. Then I mix in the color.”

This medium is flexible when dry, and gives her work its texture. However, it has only an 18-24 hour window to continue to be contributed to and manipulated. This may seem like a long time, but the use of the word “only” tells us that Rebecca feels differently. The sculptor in Kinkead emerges during this window.

Donna Speirs, a sales consultant at Maine Art, says, “There is so much joy and movement and energy in Rebecca Kinkead’s work. I have the overwhelming need to touch it.” This feeling is the end result of the process that Kinkead is famous for.

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“When I begin a painting, I often start with my fingers in the wax/paint mixture,” says Kinkead. She feels the form with her fingers. “The more familiar the form, like my dogs, the easier it flows. Working with my fingers allows me to find the form faster, easier, and more naturally.”

“I like to paint by feel. I am better able to search for the form on a larger canvas. I can really move the paint around and figure things out in a way that is much more difficult for me on a smaller canvas,” she says. “I want my work to have a physicality to it. It just feels better to me on a scale that is closer to life-size.”

With her change in medium came changes in her tools as well. “I constantly shop for tools. The kitchen store, the hardware store, the art store,” says Kinkead. “Floor squeegees, putty knives for plastering, palette knives, rubber wedges and more big window squeegees – its all fair game.”

Rebecca Kinkead’s work deserves to be seen in person. The texture and scale is difficult to capture in digital form.

Rebecca Kinkead

We welcome you to come in and see for yourself. Her show runs through August 11 at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk. We are open from 11am to 5pm every day.

If you cant make it in, please peek at the complete show online at Rebecca Kinkead – Maine Art Shows.

Interested in more background on Rebecca and her work with Maine Art? Read Artist Insights – Rebecca Kinkead and Maine Art

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Behind the Painting – Custom Stretchers from Brickyard Enterprises

Ann & Mike

In the spirit of First Lives, we here at Maine Art are taking a bit of time to recognize a behind-the-scenes source that has just recently come to our attention. Brickyard Enterprises is located in Ferrisburgh, Vermont in the beautiful Champlain Valley. They are a small company run by Mike Poskas and his wife, Ann. They also live about a half-mile from Rebecca Kinkead. Mike and Rebecca’s husband, Jamey, hunt together. One day, during a rabbit hunt, Jamey tossed a very random idea his way.

“When Jamey asked about making stretchers for Rebecca’s canvases, Mike was all in,” says his wife, Ann. “Then he promptly came home, and together we researched what a stretcher was and how to make one!”

Four months later, the Poskas’ new three-car garage was transformed into a high-end woodworking shop, which they call “the barn.” That was now four years ago. Even though Mike is busy flying as a pilot for a commercial airline, the duo has kept the business going.  Orders were thriving and soon Ann left corporate America to focus on Brickyard. She doesn’t stop at the business end though. The couple splits the duties in the wood shop, as well.

“Mike does all the major cutting, but I put everything through the joiner. Then we work the table saw and the shapers for the profile together,” says Ann. “He does the precision cuts – that pilot’s attention to exact detail comes in handy. He also handles anything too dangerous for me to do alone.”

With five shapers, four are dedicated to the tongue and groove work. Ann handles four of them without issue. She also puts the smaller stretchers together. The larger pieces require a cross-bracing; this is where Mike is needed again.

“I stretch the canvases and do most of the delivery,” says Ann. “We have over forty artists, twenty of them are regulars. I deliver all over New England and we ship to as far away as Florida.”

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Everything at Brickyard Enterprises is custom ordered and made by hand with locally sourced basswood. They keep no inventory in stock and make each piece to the exact specifications of the artist, offering both stretchers and panels in a variety of sizes.

“We have never advertised. It has been word of mouth since we started and we are more than busy. It has always been a fun business and has come to be something we love to do,” says Ann.

Word of mouth is exactly what led a second one of our artists to Brickyard. Craig Mooney and Rebecca Kinkead have worked in galleries together for a few years.  When Rebecca committed to an exclusive deal with Brickyard, she immediately called Craig to let him know how fabulous their work was. It wasn’t long before Craig was on board, as well.

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Not only does Brickyard produce custom stretchers and panels, they have added fine art transportation to their list of services, and transport to all of New England. They have also begun stretching completed works for collectors and artists. It’s important to have high quality materials supporting the beautiful work that hangs on our walls and yours. Our artists take this part of their process very seriously, and it’s all the better when we can keep it local.

For more information on Brickyard Enterprises, visit their website and check them out on Facebook.

Brickyard Enterprises

Brickyard Enterprises Facebook Page

To see both Craig Mooney and Rebecca Kinkead’s work please visit our galleries in Kennebunk; Maine Art Shows, at 10 Chase Hill Road and Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture, at 14 Western Avenue. You can also view our complete collections of their works on their Artist Pages and read more about them on our Blog by clicking the links below.

Rebecca Kinkead at Maine Art and Rebecca Kinkead an Inside Look

Craig Mooney at Maine Art and Craig Mooney an Inside Look

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Abbie Williams on Summer Chairs – An Artist’s Choice

Summer is all about being outside, enjoying the warm air, and often the late afternoon sun. The season is short here in the Northeast, and we need to enjoy every moment. This is especially true on the small islands off Maine’s coast, like Monhegan; the place that inspired Abbie Williams’ Summer Chairs.

“This image is so telling of summer on Monhegan Island,” says Williams. “Actually, it is true for almost anywhere along the coast of Maine.” Visiting Monhegan Island is a regular occurrence for many artists, including Abbie.  It is a quiet little island village that celebrates the way life used to be. Artists find the peace and the surroundings a perfect place to work. It is not uncommon to find artists with their easels along the rocky coastline, in the harbor, or even on the wooded trails that weave their way across the island.

For Abbie the “choice” this year was an easy one. The small white house and the adirondack chairs are idyllic. “They just drew me in. Those colors and how they weave together; it is why I paint,” says Williams. “They are so luscious and inviting.” The brilliance of the sun practically sets fire to the sky, and Williams recreates it perfectly in oil. “I love how this piece turned out. The colors just work,” says Williams.  “Besides that, I simply feel good when I look it.”

Abbie has been a part of Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture for almost five years, and has participated in multiple shows at Maine Art Shows. Her work embodies every season of Maine, from the ice shacks of winter to the summer chairs.

Summer Chairs is part of the Choice Art Show, and will be running until June 30 at Maine Art Shows at 10 Chase Hill Rd. in Kennebunk. We are open daily from 11am – 5pm. She also has a collection of work at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture just down the hill at 14 Western Ave. We welcome you to stop by to visit – please visit our website for directions and hours. www.maine-art.com

Abbie Williams

If you are interested in reading more about Abbie Williams and her work at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture, please visit our blog. Maine Art Blog- Abbie Williams. Also, click her Artist Page to view our entire collection of her work online.

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Daniel Corey on By January – An Artist’s Choice

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Aldermere Farm is a traditional New England saltwater farm located in Rockport, Maine. It is nestled on the western shore of Penobscot Bay and has been an area landmark for generations thanks to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. It is also in the home town of one of our artists, Daniel Corey.

“I love the cows. They are very sweet and curious,” says Corey. “I will sometimes hold up my paintings for them when I’m finished. They seem to look them over with interest.”

By January is Corey’s Artist’s Choice piece for the Choice Art Show at Maine Art Shows in Kennebunk.  It is one of three pieces of his work in the show. “This painting represents me and my work to the best of my current ability. Everything I have went into it,” says Corey. “The Belted Galloways are one of my favorite subjects when I’m looking for a challenge. For such big animals they don’t seem to stop moving. This makes it tough when trying to paint them.”

Aldamere Farm is known for its Belted Galloways and is one of the world’s premier breeders. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust maintains Aldermere as a working farm and educational center, helping visitors deepen their appreciation for land conservation and sustainable agriculture. Corey enjoys spending time here with his easel, his camera or his sketch book, or more often all three.

“This painting came together from multiple references and plein air sketches I did while at the farm,” say Corey. “I took so many notes and even photos. I was continually checking my drawing against all these references.”

The title of this piece was Corey’s choice to leave open to interpretation.  Leaving the viewer to wonder exactly what happens ‘by January.’ “I hate to take the wonder away from the wonderers,” says Corey. “I would rather let the viewer feel that sense of inclusion when they think they know. Ideally, they always do.”

To see the beautiful By January, as well as Ice Cream Night and Summer, come into Kennebunk and visit Maine Art Shows from 11am – 5pm any day. The Choice Art Show will run until Thursday, June 30. Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture at 14 Western Ave. also has a collection of Daniel Corey’s work. For summer hours and to view his work online visit our website at www.maine-art.com and Daniel Corey – Artist Page.

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You can also read more about Daniel and his work with Maine Art on our blog. Maine Art Blog – Daniel Corey

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