There’s a huge granite millstone paving the way to the front door of Skinner Mill, the house in Wells, Maine, that Tom Joyal, of Old House Parts,built for Elaine Triplett and Bob McLaughlin. A small white dog named Tarragon is jumping up and down on it, barking loudly. The sound of Branch Brook, which runs […]
maine
Joyce Tenneson is famous for her ethereal, romantic photographs of women, flowers, seashells, and now trees. She is one of the few serious photographers who dares to tackle obvious beauty in an age of ironic ugliness. I have long regarded her as the Andrew Wyeth of photography. Just as Wyeth painted as though […]
How To
Crafts | Make a May Basket
When I was a child growing up in Maine, my grandparents came to our house each and every May Day with little baskets filled to the brim with candies, animal cookies and popcorn. These vibrant baskets were decorated with frilled papers and tissue flowers and were a delight to look at, even after the contents […]
Magazine
The Many Faces of F. Holland Day
Fred Holland Day (1864-1933) was a colorful and controversial character in his time, a wealthy Bostonian who championed photography as an art form. A noted Pictorialist himself, he created romantic photographs that aped paintings. In this he was eclipsed in his own time by his rival Alfred Stieglitz and in history by the rise […]
Magazine
Wally Warren’s Roadside Attractions
Wally Warren has been described variously as a folk artist, a faux folk artist, an outsider artist, an earth artist, an environmental artist, an assemblage artist, a found object artist, and a recycle artist. He just thinks of himself as a sculptor. In 2011, Warren had a rare institutional exhibition of his colorful, […]
The Spring Equinox is just a few weeks away, which gets “the winter that wasn’t” closer to being part of our collective history and further from our current reality. But wait; that does not mean it’s time to stow your skis and board. Despite having somewhat lackluster all-natural conditions, snowmakers across New England pounded the […]
At the risk of turning into a Portlandia cliché, I’m really fond of birds’ nests as a decorative motif. Exhibit A: this ring, purchased at a shop in, ahem, Portland (Maine, not Oregon). The symbolism may be heavy-handed, but nests do make me feel happy and cozy. Fortunately, the marketplace agrees with me. Any vaguely […]
In 2002, the University of Maine Museum of Art, which had resided on the campus of the state’s flagship state university in Orono, moved off campus and into Norumbega Hall, a former dance hall, bowling alley, and Sears store on the Kenduskeag Stream canal in the heart of downtown Bangor. “If we were […]
New England
Best Cozy Mountains in New England
There’s nothing like a mountain getaway. When it comes to great skiing and comfy inns, everybody can find something to enjoy. So whether you want to hit the slopes, or just huddle up inside and enjoy the view, these New England peaks are some of the best cozy mountains the region has to offer. 1. […]
Back on February 2, artist Kim Bernard of North Berwick, Maine, noted on her blog that seeing Alexander Calder’s Circus at the Whitney Museum of Art was a highlight of her recent trip to New York City. “I could see this every day and never grow tired of it, especially the video and Calder […]
Rising early on Saturday, January 21, I headed out the door and was on my way to historic Rockland, Maine, to join in the 8th Annual Pies on Parade celebration. The event is held the weekend before what is widely known as National Pie Day each year. The festivities begin on Saturday and include wine […]
From this year-round waterfront property in Tenants Harbor, Maine, you can see Andrew Wyeth’s summer house across the water. And the land once belonged to author Kenneth Roberts. How many couples do you know who have 10 children? No twins or adopted children–just seven boys and three girls. Oh, and let’s add that the father […]