Artists capture city on canvas
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
JANE CAULFIELD of Presque Isle, right, was one of the many artists who canvassed the Star City Aug. 28 and created an original piece of art that was auctioned off that night as part of the third annual “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction.” Caulfield painted a watercolor of Wilder’s Jewelry Store. Organizers say $7,600 was raised from the auction, and by the time the artists are paid their reserve price, the Aroostook Partners in the Arts will have a little over $5,000 to help enhance arts education for students in Aroostook County. Admiring Caulfield’s work is 3-year-old Mia Brewer of Presque Isle.
PRESQUE ISLE – Situated on the sidewalk in front of the Braden Theater and armed with a wooden table, metal folding chair, paints, brushes and – just as importantly – a cup of coffee, Presque Isle’s Jane Caulfield began painting a picture of Wilder’s Jewelry Store, located directly across the street.
Relying on a printed digital photograph, as well as the building itself in front of her, Caulfield was creating an original piece of artwork for the third annual “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction.” Proceeds from the auction benefit the Aroostook Partners in the Arts.
“This is my second year participating,” she said of the Aug. 28 event. “Last year I painted the Maine Farmers Exchange building which I have my store in. We’re all kind of neighbors here downtown, and I just wanted to show what’s downtown and support my local businesses, too. Cathy Beaulieu is a good business neighbor of mine.
“I think Wilder’s is a pretty building, plus it’s historic,” Caulfield said. “That’s why I chose to paint it.”
The owner of Morning Star Art & Framing first drew on the paper and then started to “build up” layers of paint.
“I’m focusing more on areas of light and dark and color rather than being too detailed,” she said of her watercolor work. “I’m not trying to paint what’s in the storefront.
“The Paint Presque Isle event is good because it gets me painting,” Caulfield said. “I don’t paint very often, but if I’m under pressure, I paint. Last year I was more stressed than this year, but I mapped it all out before and I thought about it a lot, so this year was a little easier.
“My son took the photo I’m using partially as reference,” she said. “We went around and he took photographs of a few places. That helped a lot.”
FRANK SULLIVAN of Littleton created an oil painting of a portion of State Street during his second appearance at the “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction.” Set up behind the Northeastland Hotel, Sullivan depicted the Maine Public Service Co. building, as well as the State Street Baptist Church. The auction is a fund-raiser for the Aroostook Partners in the Arts. The event raised $7,600.
The talented artist said she plans to participate in next year’s event, as well.
“I think the Aroostook Partners in the Arts does a lot of good work bringing art and culture into the schools, and I want to support that,” said Caulfield. “I think that’s important.”
Frank Sullivan of Littleton set up his easel and canvas in the back parking lot of the Northeastland Hotel as he created an oil painting of a portion of State Street.
“This is my second year; I did the first one. Last year it rained in Littleton all day so I didn’t come up,” he said. “I love to paint, so I’m always happy to do that.”
Artists had until 3 p.m. to complete their work at which time Morning Star Art & Framing matted the creations. Sullivan said it wasn’t too taxing having an afternoon deadline.
“It’s stressful, but I’m used to it. I do this professionally, and when you work outside from light – because the light changes – you have to work quicker anyway. You have a 3-4 hour window tops, so it’s not that bad,” he said. “The stress for me comes from that – the way I work – I never really know what my paintings are going to look like when I’m finished. It’s really a process of exploration and discovery, taking a lot of chances, and trying new things. Often when I go out to work, the painting just doesn’t come out well so that’s a little stressful.
“Today’s piece is coming out well, but I don’t want to jinx myself,” said Sullivan, noting that he really doesn’t have an interest in subject matter. “I like to just work wherever I am. Where I am in Littleton, it’s all woods and farms so that’s what I paint. It’s nice for me to be here in kind of an urban setting where there’s architecture. That’s a refreshing change for me. I parked my car and walked around for not more than a couple of minutes and I saw this building here [the Maine Public Service Co. building] and the way the sun was hitting it, and I thought that would be good enough.”
Sullivan, who actually paints with a knife, said he plans to participate in next year’s benefit, as well.
“It’s a good cause,” he said, “and an opportunity for more people to see my work. Plus it’s a chance for me to get out and work from a different kind of subject matter than I’m used to. It’s kind of a win-win-win situation.”
Ryan Carney of Ashland was one of the youngest participants to create an auction item.
“I’ve been involved in art since last semester at Northern Maine Community College when I took ‘Intro to Drawing.’ Frank Sullivan was my professor and that really got me back into it,” he said. “I’ve always doodled in class and at home and it was something to do to keep myself occupied. It was a way for me to express something that I couldn’t do with words.”
Carney said he likes the pencil and charcoal medium.
“I can put it right on the edge of my pointer finger as I’m tracing out where exactly the curvatures need to be,” he said. “Plus I never spent the money on oils or pastels; this is what I had.”
Knowing that there was going to be a musical performance at Riverside Park, Carney opted to sketch the gazebo.
“Rather than an identity, I’m going to grab figures like the drum kit, the guitar player, bass, and vocalists … try to get figures in there … almost one-dimensional,” he said. “When I got here, I walked around for a little bit trying to find a place where I could grab a lot of things without anything getting in the way. The gazebo seemed like a good fit. I tried to bring it more towards the front and everything else is starting to develop around it.”
Carney had the word “focus” written on his wrist to help keep him centered.
“A lot of times when I’m trying to get my point across through my drawings, I’ll hurry myself through it,” he said. “Instead of focusing on the whole picture and trying to get it right, I’d focus just on my contrast or my detail. Having the word ‘focus’ on my right hand helps me to remember to take my time with everything.”
Carney hopes to take part in the fourth annual event as this is a way for him to grow as an artist.
“This is a chance for me to learn more and develop more,” he said, “plus help get my name out there. I wish there were more events like this. Art – like music – is a way of life for me.”
Heather Harvell, one of the participating artists and a member of the Aroostook Partners in the Arts, said more than $7,000 was raised through the fund-raiser.
“The event keeps getting better every year,” she said. “We raised more money this year than last year. In total we raised about $7,600. By the time we pay the artists their reserve price, the Aroostook Partners in the Arts will have a little over $5,000 to help enhance arts education for students in Aroostook County.
“We had 11 artists create work the day of the auction, and another 18 artists created pieces for our silent auction,” said Harvell. “We had 22 items for the silent auction, and 15 pieces for the live auction. Some artists created more than one piece. With nearly 30 artists involved, we were very happy.”
Noting that all the artists’ work exceeded their reserve price – the price below which artists would not allow the work to be sold – Harvell said everyone seemed pleased with this year’s Paint Presque Isle event.
“The weather was gorgeous, and I was approached by two artists after the event who said they regretted not joining in, so they’ll sign up next year,” she said. “The connections that were made from that event were awesome. For example, the graphic arts teacher at the University of Maine at Presque Isle was on our judging panel with someone whose husband is a graphic artist in Canada. Because they got to know each other that day, he’s going to come to her classroom and help promote the arts.
“One of the artists who created something for the silent auction called me wanting to volunteer to teach art in a school or local organization. I put him in touch with the Cornerstone Christian Academy, which has been looking for an art teacher,” said Harvell. “Morning Star Art & Framing had five pieces come in from the auction directly to be matted and framed, which was a huge boost for them. Those kind of connections are invaluable. It was really neat what came out of the auction.”
Aroostook Partners in the Arts, which organized in 1995 to work cooperatively with local schools to develop, support and sponsor high quality performing arts, visual arts and humanities experiences for school age children, typically meets at 11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month in the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library community room.
Teachers looking to fill out a funding proposal to bring artistic opportunities to their classrooms are asked to contact Martha LaPointe at 768-6311.
