Time. It seems that is the key ingredient the average person doesn’t grasp when it comes to the work of an artist. Weeks at the easel, months in the imagination, or in Henry’s case, with “Three Boats”, years in the process. “This piece was started as a workshop demonstration several years ago, and I more recently returned to it to finish.”
Henry claims that the real invention starts once he has the canvas back in his studio, but all of his work is started on site. “Our island,” Little Cranberry Island, off the coast of Southwest Harbor, “is surrounded by huge scale: the mountains of Acadia National Park, boats with masts taller than any point on the island, huge flocks of migrating birds, but most of all the vast expanse of the Gulf of Maine.” With inspiration all around, it is easy to understand how a piece like “Three Boats” happens.
Many pieces in Henry’s collection are large, and his process is as big as his work. “I like working big. I never use an easel, whether the canvas is 8″ x 8″, or 80″ x 80″. I simply place the canvas on the ground, sand, or grass, and continually walk around it painting from all sides, all at once.” The result is a kaleidoscope of color and shade bound together to produce the essence of the Maine coast.
His work is often best viewed the same way it is created. So…walk around it, see it from all sides, and experience the world through the eyes of Henry Isaacs.
Be sure to see all of Henry’s work at Maine Art Shows during the Choice Art Show at 10 Chase Hill Road, and at Maine Art Paintings and Sculpture on 14 Western Ave in Kennebunk, just across the bridge from Dock Square, Kennebunkport. If you are not in Kennebunkport, you can always visit Henry’s Artist Page at www.maine-art.com