Maine Moments: Art & Drama

JWF 1 Comment

FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM: PART 1

The Farnsworth Art Museum is in Rockland around two hours north of Portland.  It’s noted for its extensive collection of works by three generations of the Wyeth family and its focus on Maine and artists working in Maine.  The Chief Penguin and I visit this museum annually; this time our motivation was a new exhibit of Jamie Wyeth’s work, but more about that exhibit in a future blog post.

This week we enjoyed Magwintegwak: A Legacy of Penobscot Basketry, were impressed by Louise Nevelson’s paintings and sculpture, and were introduced to a tsunami of color in Lynne Drexler’s recently restored pieces, Color Notes, Paintings from 1959-1969.

WABANAKI BASKETS

The Penobscot Indian Island Reservation, informally known as Indian Island, was the site of basket weaving going back to 1800. North of Rockland along the Penobscot River, part of it extends to Bangor.  Wabanaki weavers here made a variety of baskets for daily life as well as more decorative artistic ones.  For many years, they set up basket-selling tents on well-traveled routes and sold their handmade creations to tourists and others. Their baskets were, and still are, generally made of brown ash and lovely fragrant sweetgrass.  

Curly bowl Penobscot basket, 1920
Glowing Sunset Carrabbassett, Sarah Sockbeson, 2011

Robert Anderson spent much of his life collecting and documenting the basketry of these Penobscot weavers, learning from his grandparents Leo and Florence Shay and from successive generations of weavers.  It’s thanks to his legacy that this exhibit was possible.  The Wabanaki also made miniature baskets to use or to show off their skills.

Strawberry, blueberry & pumpkin miniatures

LOUISE NEVELSON: SCULPTOR & PAINTER

Child from a collection, Nevelson

Louise Nevelson was born in Ukraine, but grew up in Rockland after her parents emigrated.  Years later, she was astonished and delighted to discover this wonderful art museum in her small hometown.  She donated many of her works to the Farnsworth, and this exhibit is just a sample from the collection.

I liked the small black figures and also her two self portraits. She favored black for virtually all of her sculpted work, but later she created an elaborate and monumental wedding piece in white. The Farnsworth owns one column from it.

Woman with a Red Scarf, self portrait, 1947

COLOR NOTES: “I COULD ALWAYS FIND THE COLOR”

Lynne Drexler (1928-1999) was considered a second-generation Abstract Expressionist whose work was influenced by time spent in Hawaii, California, and Mexico.  She created with colored chalk, crayons, paint, and colored pencils. Later in her life, she lived like a hermit on Monhegan Island. Years after her death, this little known artist’s paintings sold for more than a million dollars.

Shimmering Rays

Some of her works use different materials that make the colors pop and look alive like this vibrant study in pinks, greens, and lavender.

Untitled, Lynne Drexler

WATCHING: SPANISH SOAP

Betrayal (PBS Passport)

Roberto backed by mother and siblings (rmpbs.org)

Passport offerings curated by Walter Presents are generally very good.  I’m less sure about Betrayal, although the Chief Penguin and I seem to be committed enough to keep watching.  We have completed six of the eight episodes.

Influential, well-connected attorney Julio Fuentes and his firm were close to merging with a UK law firm when he died suddenly.  His family—widow, three daughters, and one son—are in disarray when his death is ruled a murder and when another son, Carlos, unknown to them, shows up. 

Emotions in this group run high with shouting, angry outbursts, and hasty actions.  Son Roberto wants to divorce his wife and has another woman; brother-in-law Victor, the firm’s financial manager, has personal money troubles; and sister Almudena’s son Sergio is suspicious of his stepfather’s behavior and believes he’s lying to his mother.  Meanwhile matriarch Pilar works mightily to control everyone’s actions to her bidding.  

This is just a sampling of the layers of complexity, the lies, and the secrets.  Who is betraying whom or how many betrayals are there?  And who killed Julio Fuentes?  Overall, the plot is less than convincing, the characters lack depth, and yet we keep tuning in!  In Castilian Spanish with English subtitles.

Note: Header photo is a point basket by Ganessa Frey, 2006. Unattributed photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Maine Moments: Blogging & Dining

JWF 4 Comments

This week I’m sharing some blog history, an early blog post, and comments on a new favorite restaurant.

10th ANNIVERSARY FOR JAUNTING JEAN!

On July 29, 2014, I published my first blog post from Maine.  I signed up to purchase a domain name, jauntingjean.com, and set about learning WordPress.  The Chief Penguin and I were ready to retire in August and then move to Florida in September.   Trying my hand at a blog seemed like a timely project.  In 2014, I published five posts, roughly one a month from July to December.  In January 2015, nicely settled into our Florida life, I committed to publishing weekly.  When we travel, I post almost every day. 

This was the beginning of Jots & Jaunts.   After ten years, I’m still at it and still enjoying the challenge and the discipline of this weekly mental exercise: organizing, writing, and then sharing my thoughts.  To date, I have written and published 638 posts; this latest one makes 639!  

Each post is categorized, and also has relevant tags assigned to it.  Both attributes are searchable on the www.jauntingjean.com website and the most recent posts show up on the sidebar.

A PAST REFLECTION:  A Room of One’s Own [a la Virginia Woolf]

Original post from Sept. 20, 2014, with additions July 28, 2024

It is now 2 weeks and a day since we arrived at our Florida place!  And what a whirlwind! We unpacked and sorted, made two trips to Ikea, and delivered ten loads of kitchenware, linens, and books, etc. to Goodwill, continuing our downsizing from a large 4-story home to a spacious 2-level townhouse. And we thought we’d given a lot of books away on the west coast—and we had, hundreds of them.

Now I’ve had the pleasure of arranging our remaining books, quite a few, on the shelves.  Deciding which books should be downstairs on the den shelves, which on the common shelves in the 2nd floor loft area and which ones in my, note that, my, study.  I found old favorites like Cold Sassy Tree, thought-provoking and insightful books like Mary Catherine Bateson’s Composing a Life, and the perturbing but elegant memoir, An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison.  As well as many books I have not yet read.  Some of these get prime, front and center space on the shelves, to remind me of their presence and to nudge me to make the time to read them.

Almost as long as I can remember, I’ve had a desk of my own, from the time I was about seven or so, with drawers in which to secret away pens and papers and stuff.  In our various houses, I’ve generally had some sort of space for my desk and a few shelves for favored books.  

In Swarthmore, that desk was in a room my spouse and I shared, and each of us had a desk facing the window separated by a file cabinet.  (We gave our then teenage son the larger other bedroom complete with fireplace.)

In the Bethlehem house, my spouse had a generously sized study (he had a very big job!), and I had the servant’s cubbyhole. It was connected to a bedroom, but had room enough for a desk, file cabinet and chair, with some handsome old-fashioned built-in cabinets and blessedly, a door.  Tiny, but functional.  

In San Francisco, the top floor was wide open space, and I claimed the smaller end of this room for its windows and its peephole view of the bay.  The Chief Penguin had more space (he has more things), but less of a view.  I think I won out on this one!

My study in Florida

Here in Florida, I have a room that was a bedroom, now my study, all to myself.  I have my working desk and computer, a desk chair, a tripartite bookcase seven shelves high on one wall, two file cabinets, and a very simple table-like desk with just a center drawer.  This simple desk is where I write personal notes or work on my laptop.  There is a window and a door and the whole thing is just heavenly!  I truly have “a room of my own.” He says I can close the door and write a novel.  I probably won’t do exactly that, but I will revel in the space, the quiet, and possibly be inspired to do more than just write this blog!

Ten years later, we’ve moved from Florida to North Carolina downsizing yet again.  The Chief Penguin has generously ceded to me the second bedroom as my study while he has the cozy den.  Here again, I have several sections of shelving, a comfortable place to sit, and my desk with computer and printer. There is also a large window.  

Shelving in North Carolina study

While his space (his lair) is smaller, he too has a window, and both rooms have doors. They are on opposite sides of this light-filled apartment—offering an escape if togetherness becomes too much.  All in all, it’s lovely, and from here I can blog on for years to come!

MID-COAST DINING

Carriage House Restaurant (East Boothbay)

The Carriage House combines rustic Maine charm with delicious food.  There are picnic tables and an upper-level porch for outside dining.  Inside is Maine cozy:  blond wood tables in alcoves with folding doors that can divide what could be a cavernous main floor into semi-private dining.  

Carriage House interior (yelp.com)

Thanks to our friends, M and J, we’ve now dined here twice and consider it a new favorite.  Three of us enjoyed the shrimp scampi at our first meal, while the Chief Penguin dove into the luscious, seared scallops.  At a later visit. I tried the salmon piccata; it was a perfectly cooked piece of fish on a bed of risotto topped with sauteed spinach.  The Chief Penguin sampled a cup of the haddock chowder and the pickled chicken wings appetizer.  We also shared one of the best renditions of a grilled romaine salad we’ve ever had. Highly recommended so do make a reservation!

Note: Header photo of Maine rocks and interior photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Maine Musing: Watching & Reading

JWF Leave a comment

I’ve been doing a lot of reading and some TV viewing, so here are a TV series getting a fair bit of good press and one novel from my summer list. True to the past, I keep picking up and reading books unrelated to those I’ve assigned myself. More book thoughts in future posts!

ROMPING IN THE 16TH CENTURY

My Lady Jane (Amazon Prime)

Guildford & Jane (thestatesman.com)

Fast-paced, lusty, high-spirited, and even raunchy some might say, My Lady Jane turns history on its ear in an eight-part series about Queen Jane of England.  It’s a blend of comedy with fantasy.   Some characters appear as humans but are also Ethians who can change into animals to escape tricky situations.  One maid becomes a hawk, and a key male is a horse by night.  Suspend any sense of reality all ye who watch!  

Sickly King Edward is on the throne, but his sister and others are desperately conspiring either to hasten his demise or to ensure that they will be the one to succeed him.  Jane Grey, cousin to Edward, is forced into marriage with Lord Guildford Dudley by her scheming mother, while her sister is tied to a decrepit man several decades her senior.  When Jane becomes a reluctant queen, her enemies scheme and plot to try to kill her. The series is full of adventure with an ever-present narrator offering helpful sometimes humorous commentary.  

This won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s different and possibly worth sampling an episode or two.  The Chief Penguin and I aren’t hooked on it, but we have now watched half of the series.  Note, the real Jane Grey reigned for only 10 days.

UNEARTHING FAMILY HISTORY

Homecoming by Kate Morton (on my summer reading list)

Author Morton (nytimes.com)

Australian Kate Morton is the author of several historical novels, most of them firmly based in a particular geographic place and often featuring a historic home.  Homecoming, her latest, is set in Sydney and the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.  It’s December 2018 and journalist Jess returns to her native country after 20 years of living in London.  She is 40 and recently unemployed.

Her beloved grandmother Nora is in the hospital after a fall.  Offhand words from Nora and her unusual behavior before being hospitalized send Jess on a search to learn more about a tragic family event in 1959 that no one had ever told her about.  Putting her reporting skills to work with her curiosity, Jess talks to townspeople still around, reads a detailed published account, and delves deeply to try to solve the mystery of these family deaths.  She also ponders her home in London versus feeling at home in Australia.

There are many strands to this story, the setting is lovingly and beautifully presented, and a cast of intriguing characters keeps the reader guessing.  It’s a satisfying long novel for a summer day, and it’s the best one by Morton I’ve read.  Recommended! (~JWFarrington)

Photo of the Week

Golden lilies at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Note: Golden lilies and header photo of rosy astilbe or False Goat’s Beard ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Back to Maine: Chocolates & More

JWF 1 Comment

GETTING TO MAINE

Portland and the Maine coast are popular vacation destinations.  Flights to Portland, generally on smaller planes, fill up fast and with summer thunderstorms often an issue, travel can be delayed.  Getting to Maine took us two days after one cancelled flight, one seriously delayed flight, and then a nonstop flight to Boston.  From Logan Airport, we had the new experience of riding Concord Coach Lines’ express bus service to Portland!  Time en route is generally 2 hours and a bit, depending on traffic. The bus was comfortable and had WIFI. 

We were happy to arrive at the Portland transit center to begin our Maine time, and the Chief Penguin was delighted he didn’t have to navigate the traffic out of Logan!

First lobster roll of the season, a must!

PORTLAND TREATS

It was hot and humid in Portland (hot for Maine, that is), but we were determined to check out a specialty chocolate shop, Chocolats Passion.  Our friend Margaret introduced us to these intriguing artisan French chocolates.  Despite the heat, we trudged up Spring Street to be rewarded with a cool little shop and an array of scrumptious chocolates.  Our handmade selections included pistachio raspberry, orange creamsicle, pineapple black pepper, and Palet d’Or, made only with chocolate from Madagascar.  We learned from the woman behind the counter, a co-owner, that she had recently spent time in Madagascar and loved it. We enjoyed sharing with her reminiscences of our 2009 visit.  

VIEWING—FRENCH CRIME

If the heat is getting you down and you need a change of pace, you might sample this slightly quirky French series.

The Wagner Method (PBS Passport Walter Presents)

Cesar & Elise (tpt.org)

Cesar Wagner is a police detective based in Strasbourg, France.  He and his small team are tasked with solving high profile murders.  Wagner is a serious hypochondriac, always armed with medications, and every ready to break with protocol in his actions.  He frequently finds himself at odds with his boss and her boss.  Adding further to this dilemma is that his mother (who doesn’t look old enough to be so) is the city’s mayor.  She regularly reminds him that his actions may reflect poorly on her.  

The interactions and repartee between Wagner and pathologist Elise Beaumont provide extra spice as Wagner’s team members, Farid and Lea, put up with and are amused by his frequent so-called attacks of ill health.  

Episodes are 90 minutes long and overall are more police procedural than fast-paced action. In French with subtitles, the first two episodes dealt with the death of a rising soccer star and the murder of a journalist.  Season 1 has four episodes and Seasons 2 and 3, just two each.  I’ve watched all of the first season and found I liked these characters more each episode. And Cesar is a handsome eyeful.   Recommended!

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS

Art is high on our summer list.  We will return to Portland to see the ground-breaking exhibit, Jeremy Frey: Woven, at the Portland Museum of Art.  It brings together fifty examples of his Wabanaki basket artistry.  And no visit to Maine is complete without seeing the newest exhibits at the Farnsworth Art Museum.  Featured this year is Unsettled, an exhibit of some of Jamie Wyeth’s darker images.  

Watch for future blog posts on these exhibits!

Note: Header photo of Maine cove and other of lobster roll ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)