Near Calais, Maine 1951

This is a watercolour and graphite drawing, done on paper by John Marin, titled Near Calais, Maine. Look at the top of the drawing, there are these whispy clouds that seem to have been placed with a wet brush, allowed to bleed a bit, like the sky is breathing onto the page. The material aspects of this piece make it feel spontaneous, like Marin was trying to capture a fleeting moment. It reminds me a bit of some of Marsden Hartley’s Maine landscapes, they’re both finding a really interesting vocabulary for describing a place. There’s this one dark green hill on the left, and he’s scratched in these white lines, maybe with the end of his brush? I love how that disrupts the wash, creates this little bit of friction, a quiet kind of energy. Ultimately it’s not so much about Maine, or some literal depiction. It’s about painting as a conversation, the ongoing, ever-changing possibilities that emerge when you put a brush to paper.