Apples Orchard Memories Study

Apples Orchard Memories Study

as part of the Three Rivers Land Trust event,
Painting the Working Farm, Springvale, Maine, July 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light
fastness and permanence, graphite and Uniball
waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano
Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton
extra white watercolor paper,
framed, SOLD at the Land Trust auction

Pick a Ripe One

Pick a Ripe One

at the lower orchard at McDougal Orchards, website HERE, as part of the Three Rivers Land Trust event, Painting the Working Farm, Springvale, Maine, July 2021, 5" x 7" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
Private collection

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Pick a Ripe One
haiku by Bruce McMillan

Which one? Too soon? No.
Well, maybe. Naw. But which one?
Snap and snap and snap.

© 2021 Bruce McMillan

Up to the Lower Orchard

Up to the Lower Orchard

entering the lower orchard at McDougal Orchards,
website HERE, as part of the Three Rivers Land
Trust event, Painting the Working Farm,
Springvale, Maine, painted plein air July 12, 2021
10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed,
SOLD at the Land Trust auction

Matisse's Apples Leave

Matisse's Apples Leave

in the lower orchard at McDougal Orchards, website HERE, as part of the Three Rivers Land Trust event, Painting the Working Farm, Springvale, Maine, painted July 2021, 7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
Private Collection

Apple Orchard Memories - Winner

Apple Orchard Memories

in the lower orchard at McDougal Orchards (HERE), Springvale, Maine, as part of the Three Rivers Land Trust event, Painting the Working Farm, painted July 2021, 14" x 11" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, graphite and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
Private Collection

And on February 15, 2023 the winner is...

The Springvale Public Library Fundraising Raffle which raised $168 for our library... and...

Library Patron Lisa Grace who goes home with... the painting and an original copy of Apples: How They Grow (Houghton Mifflin, 1997) photographed in the orchard where this trees grew and is still growing in 2023, 44 years later.

Leaving Stykkishólmur

The Road from Stykkishólmur

on the way to Reykjavík, about
to cross the Snæfellsnes mountains,
Iceland, on August 13, 2021, August 20, 2021
10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton
extra white watercolor paper, framed, $300

Fagradalsfjall's New Lava Studies

Fagradalsfjall's New Lava Flow
Solidified Study 3

from a hike up to the new volcano erupting
in Iceland on August 8, 2021, painted August 16, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, using Icelandic glacial melt water on
140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $150

Fagradalsfjall's New Lava Flow
Solidified Study 2

from a hike up to the new volcano erupting
in Iceland on August 8, 2021, painted August 16, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, using Icelandic glacial melt water on
140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $150

Fagradalsfjall's New Lava Flow
Solidified Study 1

from a hike up to the new volcano erupting
in Iceland on August 8, 2021, painted August 16, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and
Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
using Icelandic glacial melt water on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $150

The Road to Esja Study 1

The Road to Esja Study 1

Mount Esja as seen from Mosfellsbær, Iceland
on August 10, 2021, painted August 12, 2021
12" x 9" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, using Icelandic glacial melt water, and Uniball
waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold
press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $500

The Road to Esja Study 2

The Road to Esja Study 2

Mount Esja as seen from Mosfellsbær, Iceland
on August 10, 2021, painted August 12, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, using Icelandic glacial melt water, and Uniball
waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold
press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $150

Sunset Daylight Leaving a Peek

Sunset Daylight
Leaving a Peek

on a cloudy overcast evening at Seltjarnarness, Iceland
on August 5, 2021, painted August 8, 2021,
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, using Icelandic glacial melt water, and Uniball
waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold
press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $150, SOLD

This painting elicited a plethora of comments in Facebook postings including, "Cool!; Love it!; Very Dramatic, Bruce!; Beautiful; Cool that you used water from the glacier." And the most intriguing one:

"These colours resonate with Goethe's colour theory and his "sunrise spectrum". The same way of looking at colour as Turner did in his later years." -Saraja Saraja, Wairoa, New Zealand

It prompted my curiosity.

Goethe's Color Theory: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, both a writer and a scientist, published his 1,400-page essay on color in 1810. "Goethe realizes that the sensations of color reaching our brain are also shaped by our perception — by the mechanics of human vision and by the way our brains process information. Therefore, according to Goethe, what we see of an object depends upon the object, the lighting and our perception. Above all, Goethe appreciates that the sensation of complementary colors does not originate physically from the actions of light on our eyes but perceptually from the actions of our visual system." (Source HERE)

So, Goethe sees colors as formed from the interplay between dark and light, unlike Isaac Newton's theories that color is composed of white light and can be reduced down to the varies colors, as with a prism.

Okay, if Goethe sees it this way, news to me. I simply paint. And whoa, a Joseph Mallord William Turner reference? "The same way of looking at colour as Turner did in his later years."  So I checked out Turner sunsets painted when he was 65-year-old or older.

1
Sunset Over the Lagoon Near Venice
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), British
Gouache on paper, 7" x 11" (w x h), 1840
Tate Museum, London, England

Hmm, looking at this I note the strong orange, and a light touch of the warm blue in the sky and the cool ultramarine blue in the water. Turner has a light approach here, as the scene likely was, while I was in a almost completely overcast dark cloud.

2
Sunset Amid Dark Clouds Over the Sea
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), British
Watercolor and chalk on paper, 13" x 9" (w x h), circa 1845
Tate Museum, London, England
(This was among the works of art damaged during the 1928 Thames flood lower floor of the Tate Gallery, the central part of the drawing is noticeably blotted.)

Ah, the dark clouds, and a sliver of round sun, the darkness present as with my watercolor.

I simply paint, as I'm sure Turner did. And I find that the more I think about a painting before I start, working it out in my mind, I tend to go in the direction I want as I explore with my brushes...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Facebook posting and comment between an art friend, a fabulous true artist and myself, both paintings, mine and hers, coincidentally posted August 9, 2021:

Elizabeth Kelley Erickson:
Totem of sunsets inspired by mudflats by Quoddy Head.

Bruce McMillan:
Whoa... can't believe that I just posted this... Sunset Daylight Leaving a Peek... Seltjarnarness, Iceland... the closest part of Iceland to Maine... and Quoddy Head is the closest part of the US and Maine to Iceland... we must run into each other painting at Cape Porpoise.

Elizabeth Kelley Erickson:
That's phenomenal!

Descending Þúfa (Thufa)

Descending Þúfa (Thufa)

Final Study, #3, descending
the 26' sculpture in Reykjavik, Iceland
on July 28, 2021, painted on August 5, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, using Icelandic glacial melt water, and Uniball
waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold
press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $150

Descending Þúfa (Thufa) Study, #2

Descending Þúfa (Thufa), Study, #1

As you scroll up, you'll see how I sketch, learning along the way, progressing from a detailed study sketch to a painting.

Sea View from a Lava Island

Sea View from a Lava Island

on Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
on August 1, 2021, painted August 2, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, using Icelandic glacial melt water, and Uniball
waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold
press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, NFS, gifted

Long Light Eve

Long Light Eve

at Syðsta Mörk, Iceland,
painted plein air July 31, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for
light fastness and permanence, using Icelandic
glacial melt water  on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico
cold press rough 100% cotton extra white
watercolor paper, framed, $150

Noon Sun Over the Top

Noon Sun Over the Top

on Hádegishnjúkur by Syðsta Mörk, Iceland
painted plein air July 31, 2021
12" x 9" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and graphite, using Icelandic glacial
melt water flowing on this mountain on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $500

This is Hádegishnjúkur, the mountain beside Syðsta Mörk that I painted,
on the south coast of Iceland. The name? Hádegishn means noon
and júkur means top, which stands for: the sun is over the peak at midday.

Viðey Island and Beyond

Viðey Island and
the Mountains Beyond

looking across Reykjavík Harbor, Iceland,
on June 28, 2021, painted on June 29, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and
Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Icelandic water, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $150

Stonington's Iconic Green Head

Stonington's Iconic Green Head

seen from the Dockside Bookstore's Dock,
Stonington, Maine, painted plein air July 7, 2021
14" x 11" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $500

Seaside Forms

Seaside Forms

at Green Head in Stonington, Maine
painted plein air on July 6, 2021
8" x 10" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light
fastness and permanence, on 140 lb. Fabriano
Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton
extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300

When Seaside Houses...

When Seaside Houses

Pop Up and Down

in Stonington, Maine, painted plein air on Church Street, July 6, 2021, 14" x 11" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper framed.
$700

Dock Waiting

Dock Waiting

at Green Head, Stonington, Maine
painted plein air July 7, 2021
8" x 10" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300

Boat Boat Rock

Boat Boat Rock

in the east harbor at Stonington, Maine
painted plein air on July 7, 2021
10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300

Stonington Seaside Shapes

Stonington Seaside Shapes

seen from Church Street in Stonington, Maine, painted plein air on July 6, 2021, 14" x 11" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Prismacolor waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper framed.
$500

The plein air set up on Church Street.

Sun Dropping by Sand Beach, Stonington

Sun Dropping by
Sand Beach, Stonington 

in the early evening in Stonington, Maine
painted plein air on July 6, 2021
8" x 10" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300

Evening Home

Evening Home

in the east harbor at Stonington, Maine painted plein air on July 7, 2021 10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper framed.
$300 / NFS

Donated to the Springvale Public Library, Springvale, ME (www.springvalelibrary.org) for the fundraising Online Auction, April 14-20, 2025.

Likely That Marin House Study 1

Likely That Marin House Study 1

looking down School Street in Stonington, Maine,
based on a John Marin 1924 watercolor
painted plein air on June 30, 2021
10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300

Inspired by:

Deer Isle, Stonington, Maine, No. 10
John Marin (1870-1953) American
Watercolor, charcoal, and pencil on paper,
18" x 15" (w x h), 1924
For sale: $140,000 USD

The plein air setup on the steps of the staff entrance to the Opera House, June 30, 2021.

Likely That Marin House Study 2

Likely That Marin House Study 2

looking down School Street in Stonington, Maine,
based on a John Marin 1924 watercolor
painted plein air on June 30, 2021
10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300

Likely John Marin's 1926 School Street View in 2021

Likely That Marin House

Likely That Marin House

looking down School Street, Stonington, Maine, inspired by a John Marin 1924 watercolor (below), painted plein air, 12" x 9" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper framed.
$450

Deer Isle, Stonington, Maine, No. 10
John Marin (1870-1953) American
Watercolor, charcoal, and pencil on paper,
18" x 15" (w x h), 1924

New Art - Bruce Collection - Home Farm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
New Art in the Bruce Collection
below...

1
In late October and early November 2018, I participated in the Brandywine Plein Air Festival, Pennsylvania, along with four other Maine artists, all friends. I enjoyed the autumn, my painting gear at the ready in my Ford Focus, seen here looking down from my hosts third-floor window. Little did I know the my Focus hood would have a new focus.

2
On the last painting day, November 1st, I was sketching a small watercolor in the parking lot of Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Winterthur, Delaware, where we were to leave our paintings for the show. Carol Douglas from Rockport, Maine had finished her painting for that day, and needed a flat place to frame it. My car's hood was perfect. And a few fresh oil paint smudges on the hood, easily wiped off.

3
Once the show was hung, we were each asked to submit one of our paintings for judging. While Carol was musing, I passed by and of course was partial to the one from my car's hood. But it truly was more than that. It stood out. And Carol, still not so sure, chose that one, and it was the Honorable Mention Winner with a cash award. Of course, I was thrilled.

Until July 8, 2021 it was still with Carol, when I was driving south from Stonington and stopped to say hello and peruse her gallery, and now it's part of my collection. I'm so proud to have this museum quality painting of Carol's in my collection. It's not only a painter's painting but it's a viewer's painting as well.

4
Home Farm
Carol Douglas, American
Oil on canvas, 20" x 16" (canvas art)
22.5" x 18.5" (framed) (w x h), 2018
Honorable Mention, Brandywine Plein Air Festival, 2018
Painted November 1, 2018, on the grounds
of Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
(the former duPont Estate), Winterthur, Delaware

Why do I keep looking at this painting? Its simplicity is beguiling with the sure, smooth, broad brushstrokes. The strong geometric shapes define simplicity, form, and mass, their darks and lights adding depth. That brush stroke sky with the whitest cloud pulls my eye over the farm shapes, while that same long bright cloud's angle aligns with the field's brightest horizon angle, both leading my eye to the farm. The balance of the sky blue at the top right and the field in the bottom left, is one of those fine attentions to detail. And then there's that small sharp light yellow field highlights, perfectly placed to keep my attention on the farm. Plus, a hint of autumn color in the distance never overwhelms the painting, thus adding to it. I find myself intrigued by the shapes of blue in the sky and the broad stroke colors of the field.

And the final touch is the oil paint that was left off the canvas, keeping the Home Farm simple, that paint long ago gone from my Ford Focus hood.

It's easy to see why the judges chose Home Farm as a winner.

Why do you keep looking at this painting?

My friend Carol's art web blog Watch Me Paint is HERE.

Stonington Seaside Motion

Stonington Seaside Motion

alongside Sand Beach Road in Stonington,
Maine, painted plein air on July 5, 2021
7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper framed, $150

The plein air setup, my car in the distance.

A beautiful day for watercolor painting plein air.

Stonington Spruced Up

Stonington Spruced Up

looking across the harbor in Stonington, Maine, painted plein air on June 28, 2021, 5" x 7" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press, rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed,
NFS

Up and Down in Stonington

Up and Down in Stonington

with the view from Church Street, Stonington, Maine, 
painted plein air June 30, 2021
10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press
rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300

Stonington House Lines of Sight

Stonington House Lines of Sight

as seen from Church Street in Stonington, Maine,
painted plein air June 30, 2021,
10" x 8" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press
rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $300