Dave Turbide     

Capturing the Dunes: An Everchanging Vista

“I love to walk on the beach early in the morning and late in the afternoon when erosion control fences (we used to call them snow fences), dunes and plant life create an ever-changing vista and unique visual images to photograph and later paint.

“I’ve painted enough sand dunes and erosion control fences to run out of clever names, so now I merely number them. I have long been intrigued by the movement of sand along the beach over time as wind and waves conspire to create infinitely varied patterns and configurations. The fences contribute to that evolution by interrupting the smooth wind currents creating more swirls and hills (dunes). Then the sea grass takes root, providing more swirls and capturing individual grains into micro-dunes. Finally, in early morning and late afternoon the sun provides the lighting that brings all this motion into view. And it is always changing. One can visit the same spot, day after day and at various times of day, and enjoy natures continually changing artwork.” 

Dave started painting with watercolors when he was about 60 and learned much about painting from Doris Rice workshops here at SAA.   A week-long “intensive” class with Todd Bonita in 2019 added oils to Dave’s repertoire. The transition to acrylics occurred naturally from there.

Linn Stilwell                                  

Naturally Curious:  The Character of Wildlife

When I was photographing wildlife, my goal was to get a really well-composed photo with enough detail that you really felt you were viewing the special attributes of a particular animal or bird.  As I began to paint wildlife, I became much more interested in providing a view into their character, so moved from wanting to record a particular animal or bird to delving into their character on another level. See them toss their heads, preen feathers, curl their furry tails right around and over a cold nose, and you will know that is what life is like for them.

As a painter I have an ability to entice the viewer to look at a painting on another level, to gaze into the eyes of a bird, to detect the shift of feathers, the vapor coming off the back of a sheep in the morning air, to note that an owl stands firm in a storm torn landscape despite being threatened.

These things are important to us as we humans try to do what we can for the environment and for one another despite being threatened by storms. These images were chosen especially for this show to bring out your curiosity, just as mine has been enlivened, and look deeper into the natural world.

Marcia Trahan
Taking the Long View

For as long as I have been painting, landscapes and big skies have drawn me in. I may set out to create a scene with a closer horizon, but inevitably the question of what’s beyond that hill, field, or tree intrigues both me and my paintbrush and off we go to find out.

As a native New Englander and recent transplant to New Hampshire my heart and mind are full of beautiful images and lovely palettes with which to experiment. Many of my paintings begin with a reference photo or sketch of a scene and then morph into something imagined or intuited. My preference is to work in oil as I love the richness, depth of color and versatility I find in this medium.  I’m mostly self-taught, but have taken classes with Amy Brnger, Kathleen Robbins, and Erin Spencer of late. Having such an inspiring arts community on the Seacoast has brightened many a day and helped me meet the challenges of these last several years with a sense of purpose and optimism.

Whether I’m painting in my home studio space or attempting to capture a moment in plein air, for me, the unique characteristics of each brush stroke and mix of color present both challenges and satisfactions in equal measure.

Ellen Kingsbury
Nothing But Blue Skies

I am a life-long hiker, skier and tennis player who loves being outside in all kinds of weather. As I have learned and enjoyed making art, I have especially enjoyed painting and collaging skies, clouds and the light. This show highlights my recent work here I have spent time in Plein Air as well as working with cut paper and collage.

I have been drawing and painting for 15 years and have studied with many teachers over the years. I don’t make any one kind of art. I have loved drawing the figure and have been in figure drawing groups for 10+ years. 
I love working in encaustic and once set up my garage with all the equipment needed to make encaustic paintings.  I have enjoyed collage and have bags of printed papers in boxes with scissors and glue. There are some times when I paint sharp edges with acrylics and other times when I use loose washes of watercolor for an abstract piece. I love printing with Gelli plates and creating funky designs for collage or a get-well card for a friend.
I’m not sure if the journey will end with expertise in representational art or whether I’ll make a big name for myself in abstract expressionism, but I know that along the way I’m having a ball!

RSBense
Isolation and Inspiration

These hauntingly familiar, otherworldly pieces were born out of the isolation experienced from the recent pandemic. The stay-at-home guidelines gave me lots of time to create. While I was cleaning and organizing my studio, I stumbled across some strangely sized ultra-high quality watercolor paper. In keeping with my New England roots, I just had to find a way to use it. Thus, this series of long and skinny landscapes was born. 

As usual, I am engaged in the process and not really doing any deep thinking. I am just playing around. I taped off a section of the paper for the “real” art and used the sides to test my colors. I was being particular about the testing, making deliberate areas of color. I was taking a class with Doris Rice, and she saw it and said, “Those look like remarques.” I quipped “What is a remarque?” It turns out that artists will sometimes paint in the margins of the print, thereby creating a remarque. “Cool,” I thought, and I kept doing my color studies on the sides of the pieces.  I then took the body of work to the framer, and I have to thank Rob at The Gilded Edge Frame Shop for telling me to keep these remarques in the framed piece. I am sure I would have covered them up! 

Judy Arnold
For Granted

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. So Joni Mitchell told us, and as I age, those words ring even truer. Change is constant and inevitable. But what once progressed at a sluggish creep, now assaults us at an epic pace. The cost and availability of goods. The state of our union. Restaurant survival. Ease of travel. Sustainability of our planet. Shifting politics. The past few years have raised the curtain on so much that I once took for granted. It makes my head spin.

When a building and business that I loved and depended on was suddenly lost to fire, personal change was thrust upon me, leading to a new appreciation of the every day places in my world. I began to look at everything around me with fresh eyes, and questioned my assumptions that familiar sights would be everlasting. They won’t.

Basements of some Strawbery Banke Museum buildings are sustaining water damage from the rising sea and crumbling. Almost thirty 80-year old trees in a Portsmouth neighborhood are being removed to install new sidewalks. Large residential developments are rising like mushrooms all over Southern New Hampshire.

Each day I pass by pastoral scenes, antique barns, quirky shops and centuries old homes. I practice appreciation of those sights which bring me joy — and I take nothing for granted.

Judy Arnold is a proud lifelong NH resident and UNH graduate. Retired from an engineering career, she now pursues buying and selling antiques. Her photography journey began with some blurry B&W Instamatic snapshots in the 1960s.

During the 2020 Lockdown, Judy found the time and inspiration to begin more serious study and practice of photography. She enjoys capturing New England scenes, details of the nautical lifestyle and new takes on the mundane.

Combining her passions for antiques and photography has led to a growing collection of vintage camera lenses. Her favorite is a 1930s Russian collapsible Fed 50mm lens with a red star on the lens cap. The timeless images from Polaroid-style film are a growing area of interest.  One of Judy’s images can be found in the Portsmouth 400th Anniversary 2023 calendar.

Skip Berrien
Mainely Maine

My approach to painting continually evolves and is often experimental. Here I present essentially two bodies of work…one largely blue and crisp while the other is dominated by the red underpainting using a softer brush. Each evokes a different atmosphere…at least for me and maybe for you as well.

About 20 years ago while out on Monhegan, I contemplated painting as I approached retirement from medicine. I have never regretted that inspiration which has permitted me to experiment with color, composition, texture and modes of expression.

These particular paintings reflect our summers in Downeast Maine where my wife and I enjoy the vigor and solitude of the coast as well as the character of the region. The adventure with paint continues as I explore the “still lives” of nature and find expression for the spaces we pass through and inhabit.

Kathy Statires
Fresh of the Boat: Painting Along the New England Coast

After retiring from teaching art for many years, I had the desire to focus on my own artwork. Since I enjoy the outdoors, painting as a plein air artist made sense. I’ve been painting outdoors for the past six years.

My husband always had a boat at the ocean, so I’ve been in love with painting from his boat. Then, of course, looking at other subjects close to the ocean. Most of my paintings have water in some part of my works of art.

I paint with oils but also enjoy working with pastels and watercolors. When I’m outside, planning my composition, I usually start with some thumbnail sketches before drawing on my canvas. Then I visualize and paint an underpainting showing the different values. Adding color is my last step, and if I don’t have time to finish it, I’ll take notes on mixing my colors for completion. Most often I finish my paintings in my home studio.