The New Hope Art Colony: Edward Redfield, Pt. 5

"The Rock Garden, Monhegan Island, Maine"
by Edward Redfield

"Because Edward Redfield often painted under brutal weather conditions, he often had to anchor his easel to trees to prevent the wind from carrying off his canvases. He had to use a substantial amount of linseed oil to keep his paint malleable, and he used a heavy glove on his palette hand. He made no preliminary sketches but painted directly from nature. Hence there are no known Redfield drawings or watercolors depicting local snow scenes.

Beginning in 1902 the Redfield family spent their summers at Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, due to the generosity of Dr. Samuel Woodward, who financed these annual vacations. Eventually the artist acquired a home at Booth Bay Harbor, which became noted as a charming and picturesque fishing village. In June 1903 Robert Henri and his wife decided to spend part of their summer with the Redfields. Henri and Redfield sailed about neighboring islands in search of suitable subject matter. Henri was so taken by the beauty of Monhegan Island that he considered setting up a studio there. The studio never materialized, but Henri's admiration for Monhegan was transmitted to Rockwell Kent and George Bellows, who painted some of their finest works there.

Redfield's many Maine seascapes add variety to his oeuvre. His finest Maine scenes often depict a rock garden on Monhegan Island and the flowers in these works are painted with brilliant colors. However, his Maine seascapes, in general, were never as acclaimed as his Pennsylvania winter scenes."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "The Pennsylvania Impressionists" by Thomas Folk.