“There once was an owl who sat in an oak, …the more it heard, …the less it    spoke,..the more it heard“  ~GentleHawk

The winter months make me want to be still.  When it snows and the ground freezes quiet can be heard…and I try to listen.  Watching the birds outside my window at the snow covered feeder reminds me to trust.  I think it was Einstein who said “Everything is as it should be…” and it is. Wisdom comes with Winter.

Tuscan Groves...oil on linen... Colleen Kidder

In the Autumn of 2002 I traveled with artist Caleb Stone to Tuscany to paint it’s olive groves and  many  vistas . The shades of green  were so unlike the warm and golden hues found in  New England.  We stayed at a former Romanesque monastary called Pieve Di Caminino and went out early each morning mixing paints on our palettes in an attempt to capture  the moods of the surrounding grounds. It was a challenge getting that green!…cobalt blue, yellow ochre and just a touch of white to soften the color…and then if I remember correctly I added a dab of cadmium red to indicate the olives that were hidden in the vines from a distance.

Recently at my annual Holiday Studio Show I displayed the  painting “Tuscan Groves”…no price…I really didn’t want to sell it! The painting was the only one  that I had left from the trip.  A local art collector saw it and said that it “brought him right back to Tuscany” and he asked if it were for sale.  I remembered that he had inquired last year too . I had said that it was part of my Private Collection and  it was not for sale. But this year I decided that he was someone who would appreciate  the painting . It was time to let it go. I offered the painting  to him and  he gratefully purchased it.  Letting go was difficult … but I know that someday I will go back to paint in Tuscany .   I will never let go of the memories of that first painting trip.

Recently I was asked to decorate a shoe for an upcoming Fashion Show and Silent Auction that will help the Class of 2012 of Ipswich High School raise some funds.   I agreed but wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do to make this shoe stand out at an auction!  It’s pointed toe and spiked heel looked architectural sitting on a table in my Studio.   After staring at it for a few days I decided to just pour out  some paints and see where my brush would take me.   I was sort of surprised when a seascape started to evolve.  The toe became the sky… below it I painted a band of deep blue water .  Then I added a sandy shore which led to violet shadows in the warm dunes with green sea grass.  Very abstract but definitely a beach scene.  I even added some butterflies…  

It was a fun and creative exercise …  Very different than painting on canvas!     

The event is called “Walk this Way” and will be held on November 14th at the Ipswich Country Club.  Tickets for the Fashion Show, Dinner and Silent Auction are a Donation of $35.00 ea. For more information please contact Laurie Fenton @verizon.net…it’s a “shoe in” for a good time!

Miles of Marsh ...11x14 oil pastel ...C. Kidder

For the past several years now in early autumn, Charlie Schurcliff who is a wonderful painter and neighbor has invited me to join him at his home to paint and have lunch with a  small group of artist friends.   They travel from as far away as Montreal for the opportunity to paint the  special vistas.  The setting is ideal…the back door opens up to miles of marsh . The view of Hog Island and golden fields threaded with waterways is incredible.

Miles of Marsh

Yesterday was the perfect day for our gathering. Clusters of puffy clouds raced through the very blue sky shedding shadows that highlighted the marsh . I worked with my oil pastels and tried to capture the colors.

Charles Hopkinson Self Portrait

Being with other painters sharing lively conversations at lunch about art and the world was stimulating. It felt reminiscent of the days back in the late 1800’s and early 1920’s when artists would meet at Salons to be with like minds unleashing their creative thoughts.  Charles Schurcliff’s grandfather Charles Hopkinson was an important portrait painter then . Most likely he too arranged  get togethers with his Artist companions at his Boston Salon.  I like to think that his spirit inspires his grandson.  I looked up at lunch to see a Hopkinson portrait hanging on the wall and I was instantly transported back in time…maybe a past life .

Looking Out from The Island..Oil Pastel by C.Kidder

“There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day when we seem to see beyond the usual.”     ~ Robert Henri

Three days spent on Monhegan Island in early October was  like like taking a trip to Heaven.

The minute I boarded the “Laura B ” in Port Clyde Maine for the short trip to the Island I began to feel  an other worldly connection.

Heading towards Monhegan

The early morning ocean air was better than a second cup of coffee and the salty spray more tasty than a bacon and egg breakfast!

Choppy Surf...

Porpoises popped out of the surf and two bald eagles soared close to the boat. By the time we had docked at the Ferry Landing I was in the vortex…a HUGE smile on my face.   I settled into my room at the Island Inn…the same one I always request. It has  a view of the ocean  from a little window  which makes me feel like I’m in a cabin on a boat.

Monhegan Harbor

I ventured out for a bowl of chowder and then did some hiking until the sun began to set. I sat watching as  it illuminated the sky behind Manana. It was like viewing a Rockwell Kent painting!

Monhegan Sunset

Amazing Sunset

Sleeping on the island put me in a peaceful state…I only woke up once to look out the window.  I had to grab my camera…the water was sparkling and still under a starry sky…

Still of the night

In the morning before sunrise I watched the crew of the lobster boats garbed in orange slickers row out to their ”offices” coffee in hand ready  for a days work on the open waters.

There is a simplicity to Island life that is alluring.  It’s easy to slip into the pace…to slow down into the moment.  The difficult part is going “Off Island” and back to the mainland. It always feels like I’m leaving something behind…a little bit of Heaven.

“I sing the song of life…With the smile of the sun and the dance of the twilight.  I float in the sky in rhythm with free spirit and joyous heart.”     ~ Swami Paramananda

   Years ago I found a small leather bound ”Book of Daily Thoughts and Prayers” by Swami Paramanda.  It was in a pile of books at a “White Elephant Sale”.  When I opened it the words of wisdom caught my interest and so I purchased it for fifty cents.  I now consider it one of my priceless possessions.

Inside the front cover is a hand written inscription by the Swami himself  “With my hearty ~wishes & prayers… Paramananda  July 24th 1938 For Mabel Miller”  I can’t help but wonder who this woman was and how her paths crossed with this amazing Guru.

Tucked between two pages of thoughts at the end of the book I found an envelope and inside was the obituary written in the Boston Globe for the Swami…he was just 55 when he died of a heart attack while preparing for a service

Each morning I read a short meditation from this special book with it’s golden cover and consider it a gem.  I’m certain that it found it’s way to me…and I’m so grateful that it did.

As the Swami says… “Keep your mind and heart tranquil and your life peaceful”. 

“How does one become a butterfly,…You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”             ~Trina Paulus

My studio has been a safe and comfortable cocoon for me this summer.  A place where I can spend hours getting lost in my landscapes…dreaming… drawing…putting colors on canvas and paper.

 But now that the seasons are shifting and Autumn is approaching I’m beginning to get that  ” back to school” feeling.

 And so I’m planning a solo trip to Monhegan  in early October.  For me being on the Island  is like being in a classroom with the very best teachers presenting valuable lessons.  Nature, the sky and the sea are my Professors . I take notes with my paint brushes.  It’s a true learning experience.

Colored Rocks... Monhegan Gouache...C. Kidder

 It’s so easy to get stuck in your cocoon…”Without change there could be no butterflies” …I need to venture outside of my Studio to find my wings…it’s time. 

Taking flight

All About The Sky...11x14 oil C. Kidder

” Rest  is  not  idleness,  and  to  lie  sometimes  on  the  grass  on  a  summer  day  listening  to  the  murmer  of water, or  watching  the  clouds  float  across  the sky  is  hardly  a waste  of  time…”   ~John Lubbock

Looking Out...8x10 oil...C. Kidder

  Today instead of doing loads of laundry and  errands that can wait  I’m going into my Studio to finish a painting of the beach that I started earlier in the week.  There won’t be any greenheads  or noisy beachgoers kicking up sand.  I’ll be alone … just the way I like it.  Time Out.   And after I’m pleased with the progress of the  painting  I’ll park myself in a lawn chair to do some sky watching .  Maybe even  close my eyes and take a nap…. ”Summertime and the living is easy….”  it can be.

Summer in The Yard...C.Kidder

Hanging out the laundry...11x14 oil C. Kidder

I spent the past three days motoring through Maine with my husband.  Our first stop was  Wiscasset… “One of the Prettiest little towns in Maine” .  Usually I’m on my way to Monhegan Island ( where I did the painting above) when I go through this quaint  town.   The Wiscasset Bay Gallery is filled with beautiful works of Maine Art and there are several fine Antique Shops and a wonderful bookshop worth browsing. 

We took a walk and stopped in a few of the shops and then  continued driving to Camden  to find the Camden Harbour Inn  where we were staying for the night.

View of Camden Harbour

The Inn is a very special place with extraordinary food and service.  We were lucky because the 4th Fireworks had been postponed until the 5th ( waiting for our arrival?)  We were able to sit in rocking chairs on the perfectly manicured front lawn and watch the sparkling show while finishing our wine  … celebrating Independence in the all American  Village of Camden Maine! 

In the morning after a bountiful breakfast on the veranda we packed our bags and headed for our next destination which was Rockland where we spent time viewing an impressive collection of art at the  Farnsworth Museum   and then visted a few of the many Galleries in town .

The Dowling Walsh Gallery  at 357 Main St. was filled with very selective paintings, and  pieces of sculpture.  I was truly inspired by one of the artists Thomas Paquette  and purchased a book of his small Gouaches. I only wish that I could afford one of his paintings.

"Letting Go".. Sculpture in Harbor Square Gallery window

Harbor Square Gallery  is an amazing space with three stories of lofty works creatively displayed in a  building that was once a bank. There is a rooftop “Muir Garden” where ethereal sculptued statues stand staring into the sky surrounded by flowers of many colors. 

After we left Rockland we drove South on Rte. 1 and pulled off the road to find Damariscotta and have a lobster roll lunch and sit by the water for awhile.

Damariscotta, Maine

Next stop Portland…We checked into the West End Inn which is a charming bed and breakfast in the Western Promenade Historic District. Our rooms walls were painted my favorite shade of melon and there were piles of fun colored pillows on the comfy bed.

It was a pefect summer evening so we ventured out to have cocktails at Walter’s at 2 Portland Sq. and then dinner at Ribollita at 41 Middle St….two of our favorite Portland Places.

Before we got on the road in the morning we walked around Portland for a bit and then went to see the John Marin exhibit at the Portland Art Museum . After seeing his work I was so anxious to get  into my studio!

Now we’re back home feeling rested, inspired and full of memories made in Maine.  You can get there from here…and it’s definitely was worth it!

Two Barns...11x14 oil pastel C. Kidder

Two days in Vermont just made me want more.  Motoring through the mountains and watching the cotton candy clouds drip across the tips of the hills in the early morning made me want to pull over and set up my easel!

A few years ago I spent an entire week exploring Southern Vermont with my brushes…no agenda…just painting.  On that trip I found two barns with alot of personality on an “off the beaten path” back road.  I parked on the edge of the field in the middle of nowhere and began sketching with my oil pastels.  I lost myself…and I was lost… but it was heaven!

I need to head for the hills again sometime soon . I’ll bring my paints and stay awhile in the Green Mountains painting it’s peace and breathing in the crystal clear air…I love Vermont…I know that it’s  good for me.