Archive
Gardens of Earthly Delight
THE CANVAS-May 2009
by Suzette McAvoy
Among the changing months, May stands confest The Sweetest, And in fairest colors dressed. -James Thomson
Dynamic Tension
Our human collaboration with nature is at the core of Avy Claire’s art. As a professional landscape designer and artist, she is passionately concerned with our imprint on the environment and its effect over time. “I am interested in the dynamic tension between human mechanistic activity and nature’s deeper order,” she says. “I call this intersection ‘The Garden.’”
The Garden is fertile ground for Claire’s art, which variously takes the form of painting, drawing on Mylar, digital photography, or—increasingly—installations. “Lately, I feel that my medium will be whatever it takes to accomplish what I want to do,” she says.
Searching for Summer
ESSAY-May 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
A Maine free from winter’s clutch is mere folklore as I write this, a foreign experience to a newcomer who made the state home on the first day of winter. My belief in summer here is based on faith alone, although evidence is mounting in its favor. I have heard tales of glowing beach days, seen photographs of ground and sky in bloom, and found closets where flip-flops hibernate. The other day I noticed something stuck to the fence near the driveway: packing tape from the frenzied move-in day three months ago. It had been buried during the unrelenting snowstorm that welcomed us, its illicit presence finally visible as the remaining heaps of white retreat. As the stretch of gray slush fades, the change of atmosphere is palpable. Cozy frost-filled days are all I know of Maine so far, but soon, lush greens will compete with clear blues, and sea-soaked warmth will surround.
Into the Great Wide Open
May 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography François Gagné
A designer brings her bucolic vision to the transformation of a Falmouth ranch
Some houses wear their hearts on their sleeves—or on their shingles, as the case may be—their exteriors offering a predictable glimpse of what lies within. Others hide behind their facades, revealing an entirely different character once you step inside. The renovated Falmouth home of interior designer Linda Banks falls in the latter category. From the road, it looks like a traditional two-story home on three acres of lush meadow. Once inside, however, the house reveals its surprising identity—a wide-open barn-meets-loft infused with French-inspired interior design, salvaged architectural gems, and strong aesthetic elements.
Wood Warriors
PROFILE-May 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Irvin Serrano
A pair of master cabinetmakers blend passion with practicality
Not far from the banks of the Androscoggin River, down an alleyway of brick in the heart of an old textile mill in Lewiston, Todd McIntosh has his hands full. Literally. One at a time, he carries two stone sink basins from his truck to the workshop, laboring slightly under their weight. “These are gonna be great, aren’t they?” he says to his business partner, Jon Tuttle, after he steps inside. The sinks are ready to be installed into custom-made mahogany bathroom cabinets, where the design calls for their stone surfaces to project outward from the cabinetry. This is a new technique for the craftsmen, but they are confident: “We’re not afraid to go out on a limb and get out of our comfort zone,” says McIntosh.
Now We’re Cooking!
SPACES-May 2009
by Debra Spark
The transformation of unworkable kitchens into beautiful spaces
Being the winner of the “Ugly Kitchen” contest seems like an unfortunate honor. Right up there with starring in the Shag Carpet Follies or landing in the Lawn Ornament Hall of Fame. But the biannual contest—which is run by the Maine Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA)—is actually about transformation, the remodeling of an unworkable space into something beautiful. This year, the prize for best overall design went to Elaine Murdoch, CKD, CBD* of Boothbay Harbor’s Knickerbocker Group, who converted a dark, cramped kitchen in a 1980s Southport home into an elegant, light-filled space. With its unattractive oak cabinets and vinyl flooring, the original kitchen was outdated, boxed off from the home’s adjoining living room, and created a traffic pattern that was, according to Murdoch, “totally bizarre.” The first step was to take down the kitchen’s two interior walls and visually open up the space—a complicated task given that a post hidden in one of the interior walls provided structural support for the home. The solution was a room divider that, in addition to holding up the second floor, sections off the kitchen from the rest of the first. Consisting of a counter topped by two glassed-in cabinets, the room divider allows one to look out of (and into) the kitchen without the appearance, as Murdoch says, “of a mess hall.” The room divider has the additional virtue of offering more storage space. Shelves, a microwave, and a cabinet with wine rack are tucked underneath the counter, while drawers for keys and mail hide the otherwise ubiquitous kitchen clutter pile.
A Natural Secret
FEAST-May 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography François Gagné
Inside Kennebunkport’s Bandaloop, the key to eternal life awaits
Walking for the first time through the bright red doors of Bandaloop in Kennebunkport’s Dock Square, one cannot help but feel as though they are stepping into the unknown, about to encounter an exquisite secret. The restaurant is shrouded in mystery; it is located a bit off the beaten path, and its ambiguous name offers no clues to its setting or cuisine. Once inside, the eclectic decor is not easily categorized, nor is the menu, which is as vegetarian and vegan friendly as it is a meat-lover’s delight. For husband-and-wife team chef W. Scott and Bridget Lee, this enigmatic experience is entirely intentional. “We don’t want people to have any preconceived ideas before they come in,” says Scott, who explains that the name came from Jitterbug Perfume, a novel by Tom Robbins, the couple’s favorite author. In the book, Bandaloop is the name of a fictional tribe that knew the secret to eternal life. While true immortality might forever remain unattainable, Scott and Bridget believe that fine food and wine must have something to do with it. To enrich their own lives and those of their customers, the couple has built a menu founded on healthy and fresh ingredients—most of which are organic, all-natural, and purchased from local suppliers such as Wolfe’s Neck Farm.
A Life by Design
PROFILE-May 2009
by Stephen Abbott
Photography Irvin Serrano
For those who follow lifestyle design, the Angela Adams story is now well known:
Spunky, towheaded girl prone to doodling is raised by lobstering family on the remote Maine island of North Haven. Driven by lofty but unfocused artistic ambitions, enrolls at the Art Institute of Philadelphia to study interior design. Wanders back home after college and works for prominent Maine painter Eric Hopkins; learns the business of selling art. Launches entrepreneurial career by cobbling together a succession of odd jobs painting stylized, organic patterns on objects, furniture, and homes. Meets fledgling furniture designer Sherwood Hamill; falls in love. Inspired by rug samples in the office of a local interior designer, realizes that area rugs could be the ideal vehicle for her patterns. With Hamill, cofounds Angela Adams, LLC, in 1997. First rug and furniture collection is introduced at Chicago Design Show; international press follows, catapulting the designer to near-instant stardom. Company grows and diversifies rapidly, licensing deals are struck, and a working studio and retail store are opened in the old Tommy’s Hardware building on Congress Street in Portland. Following a spate of awards and product placements, Angela Adams becomes one of the most recognizable brands in lifestyle accessories and home furnishings.
Art Imitating Life
CRAFT OF MAINE-May 2009
Five Maine potters infuse magnificence into the mundane
This month we begin a Craft of Maine series on functional art. Perhaps as a sign of the times we feel especially drawn to beautiful objects that serve double duty, bringing both function and form to our everyday. Whether it is the cup that we drink our tea from or the vase that sits on a tabletop, these pieces add color and style to our homes, and extend the spirit of the art that hangs on our walls onto our tabletops, shelves, and floors. This series will explore functional art forms in many different materials: metal, glass, linens, wood, rugs, wallpapers, and this month, pottery. For more pieces by these artists see the web-exclusive content on mainehomedesign.com.
Fruitful Design
THE DRAWING BOARD-May 2009
A super-insulated orchard cottage centered on the kitchen
Situated in the far corner of a young heirloom fruit orchard, this Provençal stucco home was originally designed to be a tiny guest cottage where the owner could live and work during the construction of an eventual main house. The client liked the design and unobstructed views of the orchard so much that he scrapped the larger house altogether and had the architect modify the guest cottage to become a smaller and more intelligent use of space. The result is an exceptionally energy-efficient and environmentally responsible design, utilizing a third less space without sacrificing livability.
The House Whisperer
PROFILE-May 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Irvin Serrano
Scott Horty lives to connect the things he loves most: people, houses, and his town
Over the din of clattering plates and silverware in an 1890s pharmacy-turned-deli on Main Street in Camden, just steps from his office, Camden Real Estate founder Scott Horty quietly confesses that he has never actually considered himself a real-estate broker. He also reveals that he is an introvert—the only one from his office of fifteen (at least, according to the Myers-Briggs personality test he had everyone take). This last comment is particularly surprising, considering the number of people who, in only a matter of minutes, have stopped by the table to say hello.
Shoreline Silhouette
MAY 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
A contemporary retreat where land, sea, and sky unite
Not far from the land the Abenaki Indians called “Catawamteak,” meaning “great landing place,” a breathtaking property of the same name emerges from the woods along the waterfront—its low, flat terrain is ever-changing as it swells and shrinks with the tides of the cove. Following the undulating contours of the land is a single-story house, a Zen-like fusion of exterior and interior worlds. Cedar shingles and a forest-green roof blend into the natural surroundings outside, while inside, the house’s clean, contemporary lines and bare, exposed materials tell the tale of a design that was as exacting as it was unforgiving.
Letter from MH+D
LETTER FROM MH+D-May 2009
Collector: Bruce Brown
COLLECTIONS-April 2009
by Carl Little
Photography Irvin Serrano
For this Portland native, collecting is a happy obsession
Bruce Brown remembers his first acquisition. On a visit to Frost Gully Gallery in Portland sometime in the mid-1970s, he purchased a painting by Stephen Etnier, a well-known Maine artist. “It was a totally irrational decision,” Brown says, but it was one that changed his life. “For the first time, I felt directly connected to art.”
Collector: Juris Ubans
COLLECTIONS-April 2009
by Suzette McAvoy
Photography Irvin Serrano
A “fantastic” art collection reflects a forty-year career in the arts
Collecting is an expression of friendship,” says artist, educator, and collector Juris Ubans. “The pieces are surrogates for the people.” Given his expansive personality, inquisitive nature, and general zest for life—his favorite word is “fantastic!”—it’s not surprising that Ubans’s art collection is as diverse and numerous as his wide-ranging circle of friends.
Collector: Sam Mitchell
COLLECTIONS-April 2009
by Suzette McAvoy
Photography Irvin Serrano
A big collection brings joy to a small home
I respond here first, then it goes up to here,” says collector Sam Mitchell as he taps his chest and then his head. “It’s more gut and heart than brain.” Before he will consider adding it to his collection, a work of art must to speak to him viscerally and emotionally. “It’s absolutely how I look at art.”
Artful Allure
APRIL 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
Atop an island bluff, a fusion of art and architecture
Throughout history, places of arresting beauty have stirred the creativity of artists. It is not a coincidence that so many artists and artisans make their home in Maine—the ever-changing coastal scenery arouses remarkable acts of creative expression. Like many secluded waterfront locations, this alluring island property on a cliff overlooking the Sheepscot River is the perfect breeding ground for inspired work.
The homeowners—avid collectors, patrons, and lovers of art—were committed to honoring and cultivating Maine’s extraordinary talent. Their property, a renovated barn and a guesthouse known as the Irish House, is the embodiment of this commitment. Both have housed visiting artists who, inspired by the quiet waterfront setting, have created works that are now woven into the very fabric of the structures. Not only have the captivating views and serene ambience influenced the art, but the art, in turn, has influenced the design.
A Lakeside Retreat
THE DRAWING BOARD-April 2009
A return to a more native Maine landscape
Whitten Architects and Richardson & Associates Landscape Architects are collaborating on the design of a family retreat in the western lakes region of Maine. The project will involve the return of the property’s waterfront to a more native Maine landscape and will include a timber framed screen house. Positioned to take advantage of proximity to the lake’s shoreline, the screen house will include a full service kitchen complete with a grandmother’s walk-up refreshment stand overlooking an adjacent picnic terrace. On buggy nights, the family will be able to enjoy sunsets and dinner by the lake from the protection of the screened-in sitting porch and dining room. Marshmallow roasts and starry nights can be enjoyed from the stone-paved campfire pit and seating area. A small privy and outdoor shower will serve the swimming area to the south. In order to ensure a people-friendly environment with a direct link to surrounding nature, car traffic and parking will be kept at a 200-foot distance from the structure. This outdoor-oriented haven will ultimately provide for lifelong memories of summers by the lake for the entire family.
Crooked Cottage Charm
APRIL 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Scott Dorrance
A summer retreat is reborn as a year-round haven brimming with art
At the end of a winding dirt road, on an expanse of land that runs along the rock-strewn shore, Robin McCoy’s family had the kind of idyllic summers often found in dreams. While her parents, prolific artists John McCoy and Ann Wyeth McCoy, were spending their days painting, she and her siblings and cousins—Jamie Wyeth among them—were stirring up trouble.
Robert Indiana, Beyond Love
PROFILE-April 2009
by Suzette McAvoy
Photography Irvin Serrano
The Star of Hope Lodge, a commanding Victorian structure on Vinalhaven’s Main Street, has been the home and studio of Pop Art icon Robert Indiana for the past thirty years. This summer, the Farnsworth Art Museum in nearby Rockland will celebrate the artist and his unique island residence in the exhibition Robert Indiana and the Star of Hope. Indiana will also receive the museum’s fourth annual Maine in America award, presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of Maine’s role in American art.
Will Barnet
PROFILE-April 2009
by Suzette McAvoy
The timeless art of an American master
…like Poussin, I would like to put reason in the grass and tears in the sky
—Paul Cezanne
Standing on a high bluff overlooking the sea, artist Will Barnet fell in love with Maine on his first visit to the state more than fifty years ago; it is a love affair that has not diminished with time.
The Bleak and the Beautiful
THE CANVAS-April 2009
by Carl Little
Mary Aro, Eric Aho & Dozier Bell
Supported in part by a bequest from the painter William Thon and his wife Helen, late of Port Clyde, the Portland Museum of Art’s juried biennial has developed a reputation for the remarkable spectrum of aesthetics it puts on display. The 2009 biennial—the museum’s sixth—is no exception, presenting painters, photographers, sculptors, and new-media artists who are exploring varieties of artistic expression.
Where Gallery Meets Galley
FEAST-April 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Irvin Serrano
A Main Street bistro blooms within the Rockland art community
Two tiny hands and a giggling “hi” emerge from thick drapery at the entrance to Lily Bistro in Rockland. Into full view comes 18-month-old Shawn, a miniature maitre d’ in training, who welcomes us inside. His parents, owners and chefs Lynette Mosher and Robert Krajewski, laugh in the background. “That’s his job,” jokes Lynette.
The Work of Art
ESSAY-April 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
“One’s art goes as far and as deep as one’s love goes.” —Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009)
With the buzz of cocktails and jazz from the mezzanine still fresh, I bounded down the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art into the nighttime symphony of taxi horns on Fifth Avenue, and purchased my first work of art. I was just out of college and an immense, pulsating New York was still new.
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