Tag: maine

Artist to watch… David Scriven Crowley!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist4 Comments
"Talbot" by artist David Scriven Crowley

David Scriven Crowley is today’s Artist to Watch! My husband and I first ran across him on a trip to Rockland, Maine… we ran across his intriguing gallery on Main Street and fell in love with his Jack Russell, (I  believe her name was Daphne), what a character! David is a very talented artist full of amazing stories, if you get a chance and are in the area, stop by and say Hello! Or… stop by his website to check out his work…

Here’s a blip from the artists website…

My work is about emotion, the profound sense of a mandate so demanding and so compulsive that the need to make something MUST be satisfied. Even if the lack of time, the lack of funds, and the market do not support the idea, the emotional desperation for a project to be realized is so compelling as to force itself into fruition. These concepts manifest in many forms, usually complete (in my head), before they are begun. The process is, however every bit a part of the creation and through the development of the work, small changes of direction may occur. Usually, these deviations are subtle, but may at times alter the direction of the original idea. The ideas are spiritual, political, social, environmental, humorous, or may simply be about beauty.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artists painting on Monhegan Island, Maine

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Walt Pasko painting on Monhegan Island, Maine

The first year we went to Monhegan it absolutely blew my mind how many artists had their easels set up and were painting away. Not a few artists, I’m talking LOTS of artists, they were everywhere! It was amazing, especially as a huge lover of art to watch them. Here is one artist I featured recently, Walter Pasko. An amazingly talented and brilliant man. He knows the technical side of painting, no doubt… fascinating to listen them talk about pigments and whatever else… over my head, but interesting nonetheless! I love photographing artists painting… I also like paintings of other artists painting, very neat!

Catch you back here tomorrow! Can you believe Christmas is only a week away?

Artist to watch… Walt Pasko!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments
Winter Path by Walt Pasko
Winter Path by Walt Pasko / Image: PaskoFineArt.com

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! WordPress offers falling snow on their blogs until January… So enjoy the little blizzard, I know I will…!

I. LOVE. THIS. PAINTING! This is done by artist Walter Pasko and it is fabulous! Winter scenes are a favorite. I love the colors in the snow. From this painting you can feel how cold it is when you look at the deep greens. You can also feel the warm sun on your back when you look at the light in the snow.

My husband and I met Walter years ago on Monhegan. For several years we happened to be on the island at the same time, along with another artist friend of ours, Tim Bell. It was fascinating to listen to Tim and Walter talk about the more technical side of painting, it was all I could do to try to take it all in.

This is a magnificent painting done by an artist that is not only very talented, but a very, very nice and brilliant man. Here is a blip about Walt from his WEBSITE:

Walter J. Pasko has devoted his creative energy, for the past forty years, to the painting of landscapes directly from nature.  His broad oil painting style has evolved from a need to capture the fleeting play of light and shadow patterns on the landscape, essential to the design of his paintings.He has been living for most of his adult life in the Berkshire Hills of northwestern Massachusetts where he regularly scouts the back country looking for saw mills, sugar houses, streams, and small villages as subject matter for his paintings.Primarily self-taught, he studied and painted with the late Maurice Kennedy, friend and former student of Lester Stevens (N.A.).  He has a Ph.D. of M.E. degree from the University of Massachusetts.

Painting by Geer Morton… one of my favorites!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment
Bay and House by Geer Morton

Isn’t this fresh and fabulous? I absolutely LOVE Geer Morton’s paintings. He’s got the most unique style, you can spot his painting a mile away. I love that! Take a peak at his work… on top of being so talented he’s a super nice guy! I know that I’ve feature this artist before, but it’s so hard not to show you other great paintings… I’m going to have to think of a catchy title, so I can start doing this with more artists I admire, maybe starting the new year!

My husband and I first saw Geer’s work at  Wiscasset Bay Gallery where we fell in love with his paintings (you will too, trust me on this)!  If you get a chance, stop in Wiscasset Bay Gallery and check out his work, or visit his website! (Image: WiscassetBayGallery.com) 

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving weekend… catch you back here tomorrow!

Lobster boat LEGACY of Monhegan Island, ME.

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTS, TRAVEL1 Comment
Legacy, Monhegan Island, Maine

Isn’t this boat a beauty? It’s truly gorgeous, however, I doubt the owner would appreciate it being described that way (sorry Sherm, but it is what it is). Sherm Stanley is the owner and pilot of the 40 foot black-hulled Young brothers lobster boat. I’ve always thought dark black/navy boats had a classy look about them. This isn’t just a classy boat, it’s a hardworking lobster boat. Fancy is the last thing they’re going for. I admire the hard work that those guys do, and a lot of times in extreme weather. It’s fascinating. They earn their money no doubt. Seems like lobsters should bring a lot more money than they do… there is a GREAT ARTICLE from Yankee magazine about the lobstermen on Monhegan.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Michael Chamberlain!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Sea Swings – Mike Chamberlain (Image: chamberlainpaintings.blogspot.com)

The artist painted this painting from a photo taken at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California. Can’t you feel the movement? It’s fabulous! I love it when an artist paints a painting that’s loose enough for your mind to create the details. This guy is good. If you’re in California, check him out… if not, he’s got a fabulous WEBSITE and BLOG! Kudos to those who can paint, keep up their website AND blog! Woohoo! I thoroughly enjoy reading an artists blog, especially when they can inject a little humor into the mix. Great job Mike!

Here’s a blip about Mike (as well as a photo) via his website… check it out! Catch you back here tomorrow!

My desire is to capture the essence of a subject while maintaining the look and feel of paint. I’m motivated by the beauty surrounding us in simple, everyday objects and scenes. I paint exclusively in oils and enjoy the challenge of working alla prima, both in the studio and outdoors, usually finishing a piece in a single session.

Though primarily self-taught, I’ve had the privilege of studying with some outstanding painters including Jim Promessi, Noah Buchanan, Randall Sexton and Timothy Horn.

Hiking on Monhegan Island, Maine…

On By Barbara StroudIn TRAVELLeave a comment
Fred on Monhegan Island, Maine

We had set off for a magnificent hike around Monhegan Island, Maine. Between the fabulous breakfasts at the Island Inn, lunch at the Barnacle (or pizza at the Novelty), an afternoon snack and a to-die-for dinner at the Island Inn we had to walk ALOT. But walk is pretty much what you do on Monhegan. Great hiking trails everywhere, and anywhere you go you walk, so you burn some serious calories (thank god!). There are few places in the world as fabulous as this!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A window to my soul… or from the cottage in Maine.

On By Barbara StroudIn TRAVEL8 Comments
Cottage Window - Port Clyde, Maine

Those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook have seen this photo lately… This is one of my favorites. Taken from inside the neatest cottage on the planet earth. The cottage is in Port Clyde, Maine and looks out to the ocean facing Monhegan Island. This cottage is truly like a movie set. Nothing new or fancy about it, it’s been around for a long time. It’s situated so close to the ocean that during a storm it can be a tad thrilling… oooh how I’d like to be there now!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Woohoo! To the love of my life… it’s your day!

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Fred on Monhegan Island...

Don’t you just love this photo?? It was taken several years ago, our first trip to Maine, Monhegan Island to be exact. If I were to give this photo a title it would be INNER PEACE. Good one, eh? This is one of our favorite places in the world. I think we are destined to become island people… all of our favorite places are islands. On our first trip back from Monhegan, sitting on the wharf waiting for the Laura B. all I could say is that I didn’t want to leave. Not in a “I don’t want to leave because I’m having too much fun” kind of way, but more of a “this is where I belong and it’s difficult to leave” kind of way… We both felt that from the first year our feet hit the ground. While in Maine you just feel so content. So happy. So relaxed… It’s life… The way it should be…

Back to the reason I started this post…

WOOHOO FRED!!!! Happy Birthday!! If I could give Fred one thing for his birthday it would be  a trip to Monhegan, although the season is over, the inn is closed and let me just say… WHERE WOULD WE EAT? Ha ha… So Fred… I wish you the happiest birthday ever. A year full of happiness and no worries, I am blessed beyond belief to be your wife. I love you so much!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Tom Curry!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: GleasonFineArt.com

I love to introduce artists that you might not run across… good ones, artists that are unique… I would like you to meet Maine artist, Tom Curry. This is a fabulous pastel on paper entitled BOAT HOUSE, I love the orange undertones, its a very striking piece! It’s at Gleason Fine Art in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. If you’re in the area, check him out! If not, check out Gleason’s website, he’s under the CONTEMPORARY ART section. The artist also has a FABULOUS website, (click HERE)… so check him out!  Here’s a blip from his website (the Artists Statement):

Life on the Maine coast is charged with a brilliance, a wildness. The waters are a living green ecosystem, radiating wonder. There’s an urgency to my work because so many of these places are being lost to development.

Nature, ever changing, offers countless compositions. I want to evoke a place, time and atmosphere in my work. The natural world is my big studio, filled with opportunities to observe nature and explore its seamless miracle. Open air painting is a selection process: this sky, these waves, this foreground. It’s not a fragment, but a series of experiences not limited to space and time like a photograph. Many places feel sacred to me, places where the landscape evokes a sense of stewardship and reverence.

I have worked with pastel more than 20 years. The medium’s fluidity and immediacy allow me to capture the ever changing light, water, and atmosphere. I often return to work in the same locations with infinite daily results.

Many artists influence my work: Ferdinand Hodler, Wolf Kahn, Marsden Hartley, Tom Thompson and Rockwell Kent. I also find inspiration in Jean Baptiste-Camille Corot’s paintings of the Italian countryside, as well in the work of Edgar Degas, Fairfield Porter, Edward Hopper and Rockwell Kent.

Enjoy! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Eric Hopkins!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Photo by William Thuss for Eric Hopkins

Many of you have heard of Eric Hopkins. He’s got a fabulous gallery in Rockland, Maine. An exquisite space full of his paintings, most of which are large and a few are VERY large… If you think he seems familiar but haven’t been to his gallery perhaps you’ve seen his paintings on the cover of the LL Bean catalog? He’s got a fun element to his work. This painting is entitled FLYING OVER BLUE BAY. If you’re in Rockland, ME, you’ve GOT to go in the gallery. I LOVE how (at least last time we were there) Eric used an old door with glass panes as a palette. BRILLIANT!?

Ok,  blip from the ERIC HOPKINS GALLERY:

With the eyes of an artist, the words of a poet, and the mind of a scientist, Eric Hopkins has engaged numerous people through his art and with his thoughts about life on this Big Blue Planet.  He captures the dynamic forces and rhythms of nature in watercolors, oils, blown glass, mixed media, and photography. His vision focuses on the Big Picture of the natural world, geological and geographical forms, and the exchange of energy between Earth, Water, and Sky. From this intimate study of nature, Eric has developed a keen awareness of light, form, color, and pattern, which is reflected in all of his work.

“I was lucky enough to spend my early days on North Haven,” says Eric, “where my worldview consisted of roaming the woods, fields, shorelines and exploring the edges where land, water, and sky meet. I was drawn to shapes, spaces, patterns, and the rhythms of nature. I was and still am fascinated by the incredible variety of life forms and forces on this Planet.”

Eric is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and has taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Pilchuck Glass School. He has exhibited at the Farnsworth Art Museum, Portland Museum of Art, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Waterfall Arts Center, University of Maine Museum of Art, and a number of galleries nationally.

Enjoy! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Owl’s Head General Store… what a find, the best hamburger ever!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, TRAVELLeave a comment
Owls Head General Store, Owls Head, ME

I was looking at Katy Elliott’s blog last year and noted that she mentioned going to Owls Head, ME and having the best burger ever… YAY! We found a new place to try, and try it we did, almost daily it seems. (Thank you K.E.!). The OWLS HEAD GENERAL STORE is one of those rare places you find that you just fall in love with. Everything is fabulous, the people are HAPPY TO SEE YOU, and they notice when you come back. It’s like returning home to a loving family. I’m not exaggerating either. This place is the ticket. Food Network TV rated their hamburger MAINE’S BEST BURGER. And. It. Was. Oh. My. Gosh! Check them out on Facebook (Owls Head General Store).

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Stunning photography, is this real?

On By Barbara StroudIn TRAVEL3 Comments
Port Clyde, Maine

Can you tell I’m missing Maine? I’m just running across photos that are my favorites. This one was a day we walked to Marshall Point Lighthouse, then were walking back to the Periwinkle Cottage. It’s a breathtaking view. It almost doesn’t seem real does it? The loud crashing ocean, the beautiful rocky coast, artists set up everywhere frantically painting before the last light has faded. It’s the most amazing place…  Just wanted to share it with you! Happy weekend, catch you back here tomorrow!

Live Long, Live Strong, Eat Seafood: THE SLIPWAY RESTAURANT (formerly Dip Net)

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD2 Comments
Image: http://maine-slipway.com

I am pleased as punch to spread the word about the old Dip Net restaurant that used to be in Port Clyde (not the one that Linda Bean bought and kept the name, but the original Dip Net) – It’s baaayaaaack as Jack Nicholson would say and it’s name is THE SLIPWAY – it’s located at 24 Town Landing, in the former Harborview Restaurant in Thomaston, ME. We had many memorable meals at the old restaurant and are looking so forward to visiting THE SLIPWAY for memorable meals in the future!! They also have a Facebook page, so check them out!

Click HERE to see a sample menu.

A blip from their website (you know how I like to include ‘blips’ from everything…)

We are right on the harbor with a 120′ dock, plenty of outdoor seating and a menu pretty similar to the great food we’ve provided for years in Port Clyde and Camden. Chef/Owner is Scott Yakovenko ran the Dip Net Restaurant in Port Clyde for eight years.

If you’re in the area go visit! If not, click to visit their Facebook page !

STONEFISH… a must see!

On By Barbara StroudIn TRAVELLeave a comment
STONEFISH located in Port Clyde, ME

We happened upon this unique little shop years ago while in Port Clyde, Maine. STONEFISH is located in the village right next door to the ice cream shop, and EVERYBODY knows where that’s at! It’s a small space that is filled with the most wonderful things. Clothes, trinkets, antiques, unique art object, you name it, if it’s unique and classy Anne has it in her shop! If you happen to be in Port Clyde please stop in and say hello! You will find special things you will treasure forever! We have!

Updated 2025: Sadly, Stonefish is no longer open. The owner, Ann, passed away years ago – she will be missed!

Catch you back here tomorrow!