Category Archives: teaching

North to Alaska

Whirl up, sea— whirl your pointed pines, splash your great pines on our rocks, hurl your green over us, cover us with your pools of fir. (Oread, by HD) Victoria Brzustowicz recited that to me on our last day in Maine. It seemed perfectly fitting for our week at Schoodic Point. At midday, we watched […]

Beautiful scenery and a lobster dinner… yum!

As most Mainers will happily tell you, the weather forecast frequently isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on (especially since we all get it on our phones now). The Maine coast is a maze of tiny inlets and peninsulas, which means a million microclimates strung together in a highly-complex blanket. The weather appears to be […]

The slacker lifestyle of the modern artist

Yesterday I was kicking around the studio in a listless funk. Too many miles, too many long days, too many houseguests. I set out to pay my bills—urgent—and pack a few things for Castine Plein Air, but neither compelled me. At 12:30 I got a call from Bobbi Heath, who was driving from Yarmouth to […]

A painting group gets started

One of the hardest things about relocating to Maine was leaving my painting students back in Rochester. We have formed deep friendships, and I want them to continue painting. That has, actually, happened. They regularly send me photos of their work to critique. This makes me feel as if I’m still somehow connected to their […]

Painting with pals (Castine)

In its three short years, Castine Plein Air has shot to the top of my list of events, becoming one of my two favorite shows of the year. Castine is a beautiful town, well worth turning off Route 1 to explore. Its community welcomes artists, and is happy to give us access to their properties […]

School’s done forever

Since I was only taking a small collection of dishes, two bedroom sets, the couch and my studio, I thought I’d over-purchased when I rented a 16’ truck for my move. By the time I realized the error of my ways, it was too late to upgrade. My workshop and finished inventory remain in my garage […]