By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Armed with a chair, easel, paints, brushes and other needed supplies, Sam Persons of Caribou was one of 14 artists who participated in the Aug. 24 “Paint The County: A Fresh Paint Event and Art Auction.”
As part of the sixth annual fundraiser for the Aroostook Partners in the Arts, county artists painted an original piece that day, and then delivered it to the Partners to have it matted, juried and displayed for sale at a reception/auction at the Northeastland Hotel later that night.
“Once I get an idea in my head, I paint pretty fast,” said Persons, “so having a deadline wasn’t too much of a concern.”
Originally from Vermont, Persons set up his makeshift studio along the bank of the Aroostook River in Presque Isle under the Harold N. Flagg Memorial Bridge, more commonly known as the Aroostook River Bridge.
“I have several different aspects to my painting, but the river is the most constantly changing of all the aspects of Aroostook County,” he said. “As far as the color and movement, it changes every hour. Since that’s the aspect that changes the most, I thought that’s where I should set up.”
Persons’ painting included several images found in the region including a potato field, a large potato blossom, a barley field, an elm tree, a chip-sealed road, the river, and the riverbank, complete with moose tracks.
“My normal subjects are emotions and feelings,” said Persons, “but I wanted to try something a little different for me. I think it’s turning out well. This has been fun, and the money from the auction goes to a worthy cause.”
Persons is passing his artistic knowledge on to his 3-year-old son, Tadan.
“I’ve taught him how to hold and move the brushes. He does mostly acrylics, and he draws quite a bit with pastels, too,” said Persons. “He’s getting to know the techniques. Tadan makes me proud for sure.
“My advice to anyone who has thought about painting or drawing is to just try it,” he said. “Even if you don’t think you’re the best, keep trying. All I had was a few weeks of training. I didn’t go to college, and I love doing it. It’s therapeutic, and I’m able to make so many people happy doing it. Try it out and keep trying. That’s how we all learn.”
Lindsay Trombley of Presque Isle, who has been painting since high school, was another first-time participant.
“I always heard about it after the fact; never in time to participate,” she said, “so I’m happy to be involved this year.”
Trombley set up near the Northern Maine Fairgrounds.
“I grew up right next to the fairgrounds, and oftentimes when the hot air balloons would launch, they’d go right over our house, so I wanted to incorporate the balloons into my painting,” she said. “I love working with really bright colors, and I figured the balloons would be one of the best subjects to use especially with it being the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest.
“I started to get my base down last night … kind of an abstract sky with a little bit of sunshine in there and some green to represent nature,” said Trombley. “I’m trying to capture the balloons in my own abstract way. It will be bursts of colors and I’ll keep the same shapes as the balloons, but it won’t have the details like the baskets and perfect lines. I like to leave it up to the people to interpret because art is so subjective.”
A self-described “perfectionist,” Trombley said it’s a little stressful having a deadline.
“Even though art is subjective, I know how I want it to look,” she said, “so getting it just right within a set timeframe can be stressful, but it’s still fun. This is such a great experience and it provides exposure for the artists. Proceeds also go to a great cause; I’m happy to be a part of it.”
According to Aroostook Partners in the Arts President Judy Kenney, this year’s event was a success.
“We had a wonderful Fresh Paint and silent auction. Don Zillman did an excellent job for us as auctioneer,” she said, “and we will clear between $3,500 and $4,000 after we pay expenses and artist shares of pieces.
“We had 10 juried paintings for the live auction, five fresh paint pieces for the silent auction, plus many wonderful items donated by local artists,” said Kenney. “We had artists from New Sweden to Littleton participate, and we couldn’t be happier.”
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. Anyone interested in joining the group is invited to attend a meeting. Community members should contact the library or Martha LaPointe at 768-6311 for exact meeting time.
