Greenhut Galleries Presents “Color Notes”

Greenhut, on September 5-28th is pleased to present Color Notes, an exhibition of new oil paintings by one of Maine’s most masterful, and most popular, plein air artists, Colin Page. Greenhut is located in Portland and an opening reception will be held on September 5 from 5-7pm and an Artist Talk on September 21 at 1pm. As Press Herald art critic, Daniel Kany puts it, “Page is a leading light of what is called ‘Maine painting’ — that striking, quick and largely improvisational style of observational painting that ranges from Winslow Homer to Don Stone; Maine painting blends a bold brush with atmospheric light and an ever-present sense of place.” Colin shares a bit about his personal process and inspiration in his artist statement below: 

The spark of an interesting color or light sensation inspires me to start a painting. A color relationship can create a mood, describe a time of day, give depth to a flat canvas, and emulate a vibration or glow. With this series, I begin each painting with a specific color idea: a harmonious color key or a discordant contrasting key. The paintings are not exact replicas of a scene, but instead are driven by the mood and story I can tell with color and brushwork.

This creative use of color is sometimes described in musical terms. Color notes are individual moments that sing when placed in relation to one another. When there is an overall color scheme to a painting, it forms a harmony that can be felt in a way similar to a musical key in a song. A color can be read as discordant but still be the right note. Colors can work together to create the equivalent uplift of a major chord, or the slight sad turn of a minor. A painting is not a copy of nature, but a composition that describes a feeling.  

Color is just one tool of communication that I use, but the power and depth of this expression directs my decisions when I consider what to paint, and why.

Colin Page was raised in Baltimore, Maryland and studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Whether working on location or in the studio, Colin strives to capture the atmosphere and light of a scene. Colin currently lives in Maine, where he focuses on painting the landscape, and scenes that show his life as a father of two young girls. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions and group shows nationally and abroad. 

Our September side gallery show will feature new work by artist, Zen master, and former Monhegan Island resident Mike Stiler. Stiler’s love of working with recycled material is a sort of meditation for the artist that brings humor and light to the world, a direct reflection of his search for inner Zen and his background teaching Buddhism. He describes himself as “basically a cartoonist who works with wood, copper, paint, nails, steel, aluminum, leather, rubber, plastic, stone, graphite, watercolor, charcoal, ink, linoleum block, glitter, silicone, found objects, junk, photographs, ball point pen, words, ideas and empty space.” Mike describes his practice and his inspiration as follows: 

Everything I do and everything I make comes out of the question, ‘Who am I?’ This question is fundamental to the realization of anything that deserves to be called art. It is my deepest longing to make art that is funny, serious, scary, humble, confused, light, heavy, deep, shallow, clumsy, elegant, common, colossal, abstract, figurative, narrative and enlivening. I wish to, in any way I can, carry on the tradition of my heroes, Louis Armstrong, Agnes Martin, Vincent VanGogh, Pierre Bonnard, Walt Whitman, Bob Dylan, Claes Oldenburg, Andy Warhol, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, J.S. Bach, Alice Neel, Blackie Langlais, Huang Po,Ta Hui, Dogen, Joshu, Bankei, Beethoven, Robert Crumb and anyone else committed to finding the smallest in the biggest and the biggest in the smallest.

Mike Stiler attended Syracuse University School of Fine Arts for sculpture and Rochester Institute of Technology for painting. His work is in collections at the School of American Craftsman in Rochester and the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York.