John Vander has painted for many years in Italy. He has painted a series based on formal gardens, Tuscan landscapes, architecture, as well as remembrance of a trip to Mali and, of  course, many paintings based on his experience of the Maine coast.

 

“I realized that although I had been looking at the summer scene in Boothbay Harbor almost every year of my life, I had never done much directly with making drawings and paintings of it,” Vander said.

 

Over the past 10 years, when there was a quiet moment at the gallery, he has been observing and making mental notes of the passing show of people going by his gallery’s double doors. “These started as notes for my own entertainment, the challenge of capturing something constantly moving and changing. A friend watching me draw told me that my technique was to make three lines and guess the rest. Since models stand still and real people move, the sketches were done as much from memory as observation,” he said. “This can be an advantage because memory retains the essential and forgets the irrelevant details.”

 

This is a lighthearted look at people on the street. Small paintings of folks enjoying the summer sun, a man with an appointment checking his watch, a lady with a sunbonnet and red lacquer lips, husbands following their wives. Everyone breezing along and content in their location on planet Maine. This is a small celebration of summer and its visitors.

 

There will be a reception for the artist  at Gold/Smith Gallery Friday, Oct. 7 from 4 to 7 p.m. along with many other galleries celebrating First Friday in Boothbay Harbor.

 

“Tourist Season” by John Vander will be featured at Gold/Smith Gallery, 8 McKown St., Boothbay Harbor, now through end of  October. The gallery is open every day from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and can be reached at 207-633-6252 , goldsmithgallerybbh@gmail.com or www.goldsmithgallery.net.