From Sheep Island, Maine 1951

John Marin made this watercolour, From Sheep Island, Maine, at an undetermined date, with an approach to mark-making that feels both immediate and thoughtful, almost like a visual diary entry. The painting is awash in blues and greys, capturing the essence of a coastal scene with incredible economy; you can almost feel the sea spray and hear the gulls. Look closely and you’ll see how the brushstrokes are laid down, thin washes that bleed and mingle, contrasted with more assertive, almost calligraphic lines defining the rocks and clouds. The circular blob of deeper blue right at the top, like an absent sun, or a hole, anchors the whole piece with such a bold, playful gesture. It’s the kind of painting that makes you want to grab your own brush and try to capture the world in a few simple gestures. Marin reminds me a bit of Marsden Hartley, another painter who spent time in Maine, wrestling with the landscape in a similar way, always searching, always questioning. Art, after all, is a conversation, an ongoing exploration of how we see and experience the world.