Taking plein air painting to new levels, Falmouth-based artist Erin McGee Ferrell has set up her easel outside the Ocean House Gallery in Cape Elizabeth for the month of July and is inviting passersby to take a look at her latest piece or get creative themselves.
Ferrell was also one of the artists chosen to participate in the annual Wet Paint Auction, sponsored by the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust as a fundraiser, which was held this past weekend.
She was at Kettle Cove for most of the day on July 8, where she witnessed an early morning yoga class on the beach, which she spontaneously decided to join, met and talked with several families and talked with a poet and author.
And, she also managed to finish a mixed-media piece, which was auctioned off during a special event held Saturday evening. Her piece reflected the water, boats and rocky shoreline that are integral to the scene at Kettle Cove.
Ferrell is married with three children, two dogs and two cats and has degrees in fine art from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She has also studied art abroad, specifically in Italy and Nigeria.
This week she spoke with the Current about her art, participating in the Wet Paint Auction and more.
Q: How would you describe your art?
A: It’s contemporary figurative. My work is both figurative and yet abstract, while adhering to visual accuracy. Last year, for instance I created several mixed-media series that focused on themes, such as night sails and “the good dark,” instead of depicting a particular location. This year, my corporate mixed-media work is focused on lobsters.
Q: Why did you want to take part in the Wet Paint Auction?
A: This is my third year participating in this event. What draws me is the caliber of the other artists, as well as the challenge of creating a fully finished piece in one day. The Wet Paint Auction is my favorite painting event of the year and I definitely want to participate again. It’s also a great way to promote my own art.
Q: What location did you choose and can you describe your day?
A: I chose to work at Kettle Cove and was inspired by the families visiting the beach there. In terms of my day, I arrived at 7:30 a.m. to set up my easel and saw a yoga class on the beach and decided to join in. At 9 a.m. a 3-year-old ran across my canvas, leaving foot prints. At 10 a.m., I am deep in conversation with a poet and author, who happened to stop by. At 11 a.m., I see a bunch of kids and parents at the beach. The parents talk with me about art classes and I explain what I’m doing while painting, providing an impromptu art lesson.
At noon, my friend Colleen Edwards, a professional ballet dancer and artist, also arrives to paint and keep me company. At 1 p.m., a seagull poops on my canvas and at 2 p.m. I decide I don’t like what I’m painting and start wiping the whole thing off with paper towels. At 3 p.m. I decide I actually like how some of the stuck paper towels look on the canvas and at 4 p.m. I finish my painting, clean up and leave, exhausted, but satisfied.
Q: Have you always wanted to be an artist?
A: Yes. I have painted professionally for 25 years, but have always been an artist. My parents even have photos of me finger painting on an easel as a very young child with my bottle in the other hand.
Q: What is your favorite medium and why?
A: Mixed media is my favorite, although I initially trained in the classic tradition of oils. Mixed media essentially means using a variety of materials, which are layered. What I most like about it is that the process of painting changes for each piece. Sometimes I still do a more traditional oil on canvas verses the mixed media piece I submitted for this year’s Wet Paint Auction. The materials I use really just depend on how I feel at the time.
Q: Why are you offering live painting sessions and what do you hope the participants get out it?
A: In addition to being an artist, I am also an art instructor and have a passion for teaching drawing and painting. I work with both youths and adults, as well as students dealing with disabilities. In terms of teaching, I enjoy encouraging students to play with the art-making process and not to take it too seriously. My method is similar to the Suzuki method of teaching music. The foundation of being an artist has to be rooted in the love of play and experimentation with the materials. After one falls in love with the process of creating, then and only then is it time to learn the rules of composition, color, drawing technique, etc.
Q: Where can people see your work?
A: On my website at www.ArtistAmerican.com, as well as the fabulous show I currently have going on at the Ocean House Gallery. I am also represented through the Portland Art Gallery, The Art House in Fort Lauderdale and Inliquid in Philadelphia. I will also be taking part in the Boothbay Harbor Painting Week, “A Stroke of Art,” in September.
A closer look
Artist Erin McGee Ferrell is setting up her easel outside Ocean House Gallery & Frame in Cape Elizabeth this month. Visitors are welcome to stop by and see what she’s up to, or create their own work of art. This week she will be on hand from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, July 14. In addition, an exhibit featuring Ferrell’s plein air work will open on Friday, July 22, with an artist’s reception that runs from 5 to 8 p.m. See www.oceanhousegallery.com for more information.
Artist Erin McGee Ferrell with the piece she created for this year’s Wet Paint Auction, sponsored by the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust.
Erin McGee Ferrell set up her easel at Kettle Cove this past weekend where she was inspired by an early morning yoga class and families enjoying the beach.
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