Collectors Are a Vital Part of My Life As an Artist.

 

 

 

 

 

Many people have asked me if it's hard for me to part with my paintings.  They are surprised when I say that it isn't.  It is a joy to me, knowing that someone loves a painting of mine enough to want to own it.  If I didn't sell my paintings, we would be swimming in them.  

My collectors are a blessing to me. By hanging my works in their homes, they make room in mine for me to create more.  They open a space in my home and my psyche, for me to fill with another creation.  When I say, "Thank you," to my collectors, I am thanking them for all of these things.

"Rainy Twilight, Gouldsboro," 10 x 8 acrylic on linen board, copyright Joan Cole

"Rainy Twilight, Gouldsboro" is one of my favorite pieces.  It is one of the few that I did entirely in the studio after we came home from Maine in July.  Jan Blencowe, Claudia Post, and I had all wanted to stop and paint a bog, hoping to have a moose come out and pose for us.  Not only did we run out of time in our enthusiasm for painting from morning till night, but we never saw a moose--bog or no bog!  

Jan and I were determined to at least stop and take photographs of this one in Gouldsboro, not far from the Bartlett Winery.  I'm so glad we did.  This piece gave me much pleasure because I painted it when I needed to take breaks from working on pieces that I had begun in Maine.

"Lobstahhh Boat," 6 x 16" Acrylic on Canson Paper on archival matboard, copyright Joan Cole

"Lobstahhh Boat" is one of those I began on location and completed in my studio.  What had appealed to me in Sorrento harbor was the row of dories tied to the left and right sides of the primary dock.  I managed to get that much of the painting blocked in and a quick sketch of the lobster boat cruising on out, but I needed to take more time to get the details in that mattered to me.  

What began in plein air was finished in the plain air of my own studio.  I enjoy both kinds of painting.  Painting on location is invigorating because of the multitude of subjects calling out for attention.  That is the challenge:  to decide what to put in and what to leave out.  The added challenge for me is to see whether I can capture what it is I see in the limited time I'm there.  When I can't complete the piece in one sitting, I rely on photographs and memory to get the work done.

I will deliver both  "Lobstahhh Boat" and "Rainy Twilight, Gouldsboro" to their new owner tomorrow.  She is excited and so am I.  Thank you so much, K.T. for coming to The Maine Attraction and for your support.