Abe Goodale

Artist Abe Goodale focuses on watercolor portraiture and the representation of an era. His deep passion for the arts and anthropology inspire him to look at the way humans engage with one another and the surrounding environment. He sees the arts as a platform to instigate change, to preserve culture, and provide visually enticing images that may document a way of living in an ever-changing world.

The Project Eastern Waters is a tribute, a tipping of the hat, to the hard working lobstermen of the Penobscot Bay. I set out to capture a way of life, a generation upon the water and an industry that is thriving, yet fragile.

My goal is to create a series of paintings that are not only visual depictions, but also personal expressions of the individuals I portray. I strive to capture an emotion, a subtle gesture or attitude that may allow you, the viewer, to react and feel. I have left the individuals I paint anonymous as a means to respect them and to allow your mind to wander and think towards the feeling of salt on your skin and a relationship to the sea.

These paintings are representational to a great extent, yet they move into abstraction as water and paint flow together. I throw salt into them as tribute to effect and the ocean. I abuse the paper as many fishermen do their bodies with repetition and hard work. I paint with a monochromatic pallet that mimics the fog and I give subtle hints of light and color. Here is a tribute to the hardworking men and women that make their living along the Maine coast.

Goodale lives in midcoast Maine and is currently working on a project related to traditional wooden boat building in New England.