"The Knob" at Quisset Harbor: A New England Artistic Motif

As a result of our recent day trip to The Knob at Quisset Harbor on Buzzard's Bay in Falmouth, MA, I reviewed a number of online images for depicting the conservation area in photos or in painting. The purpose of today's blog entry is to show the diversity of perspectives, different times of day, alternative seasons, various weather conditions, and historical photos that we didn't experience on our single day trip in mid-September. We follow up with paintings that illustrate some of the available interpretations for the motif. Our intent is to get these images in one location for a quick panorama of representations to facilitate critique.

Although some of these images may be under copyright for commercial use, we include them here under the Internet Fair Use provision for instructional purposes. We mark attribution and credit when possible. If a viewer knows that the attribution for an image is either missing or incorrect, please advise and we will be more than happy to update the reference and provide proper credit to the photographer or artist.

Thank you to all the contributors in www.net world.  Enjoy!

Here is a reference photo of Quisset Harbor and the future conservation area including the Knob circa 1930.

 Internet Fair Use - The Knob at Quisset Harbor, Falmouth MA Circa 1930

A boat at anchorage in Quisset Harbor.

Internet Fair Use - Boat at Anchorage in Quisset Harbor

A similar closeup shot in detail.

Internet Fair Use - Boat at Anchorage in Quisset Harbor (Detail)

The same boat at anchorage at The Knob.

Internet Fair Use - Boat at Anchorage at the Knob

Here is a cover for the magazine, Cape Cod Life, with a late day photo of The Knob. The shot includes folks seemingly excited to run to the final destination. Nice touch to get the appropriate feeling for the vista. And a wonderful cloudscape at end of day sunset. The clouds and the grasses provide a dramatic depth of field with The Knob as the focal point.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Cape Cod Life - Cover of The Knob

A tranquil dinghy reposes within the marsh grasses perhaps at Quisset Harbor. Seems to be an end-of-day shot with the sunset reflected off buildings at the shoreline on the background and with the foreground in a low sun shadow from the peninsula and shoreline trees. This is a suitable depiction for the style of Monet for color and texture.

Internet Fair Use - Dinghy at Quisset Harbor at Sunset and Day's End

An aerial view of the Knob. I believe this to be attributed to Joshua Shortsleeve working with the magazine, Cape Cod Life.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy Joshua Shortsleeve - Aerial View of the Knob 

An aerial drone view of the Knob dusted by snow in winter repose.

Internet Fair Use - Aerial View of The Knob Dusted by Snow in Winter

An aerial view of the Knob and Quisset Harbor.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Cape Cod Life - Aerial View of The Knob and Quisset Harbor

The Knob,overcast, after sunset. A different cloudscape.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob Overcast After Sunset

Another end-of-day cloudscape of The Knob looking to the west in late afternoon from the Getty Images portfolio attributed to Betty Way. Some dramatic chiascuro.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Betty Way - The Knob in Late Afternoon

Here's the same shot without the obscuring watermark.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Betty Way - The Knob in Late Afternoon

The Knob at end-of-day. A cloudy, but sun-stark through-the-haze portrayal of the motif. I also appreciate the lights twinkling on the horizon. Perhaps the horizon lights are of the New Bedford and Dartmouth shoreline across Buzzards Bay. This image reminds me of Impressions-Sunrise (1872) by Monet with the overall use of greys, violets, and blues, and with the imposing sun in an overcast horizon. It is quite suitable for an artistic portrayal of the misty, hazy, layered-paint style.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Cape Night Photography - The Knob and Buzzards Bay Horizon

Monet's Impressions of a Sunrise - Soleil Levant (1872) which is representative of the beginnings of the impressionist movement.

Internet Fair Use - Claude Monet Impressions - Sunrise (1872)

The Knob in full winter portrayal.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob in Full Winter

The Knob at Sunset in Late Autumn or Early Spring.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob at Sunset in Late Autumn Early Spring

The Knob at quiet sunset. Waves are quite tranquil.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob at Tranquil Sunset.

The Knob at sunset with quiet swells.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob at Sunset with Quiet Swells

The Knob from the Northern Beach.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob from the Northern Beach

The Knob in winter, late day shadow from the northern beach.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob in Winter Late Day Shadow from the Northern Beach

Knob at Sunset.

Internet Fair Use - Knob at Sunset

The Knob at sunset by Mike Petrizzo.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob at Sunset by Mike Petrizzo

The Knob with northern beach grasses and shrubbery in foreground. This vantage point might be suitable to depict the beach roses, the goldenrod, the honeysuckle, or the bittersweet in close detail.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob Northern Beach Grass 

The Knob from the northern beach detail on the bayside at Buzzards Bay.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob from the Northern Beach Bayside.

The Knob in a clear, early morning. Sun behind the shot to the south and east. Seems to be a very early spring or late autumn season with wispy, cirrus clouds. Has some bold blue, brown, yellow, red, violet color contrast.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob in Mid-morning

Here's a shot emphasizing a leisurely stroll and beach-combing on the northern beach at The Knob.

Internet Fair Use - Beach-combing the Northern Beach at the Knob

Here's The Knob from the final pathway depicted almost in an islandic form. Nice format to the greenery and white ric-rac boulders.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob from the Final Pathway

The Knob in Violet Dusk.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob in Violet Dusk

The Knob in dry grass. Suitable for tempera perhaps in the style of Andrew Wyeth.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob in Dry Grass 

The Knob in fervent green and blue.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob in Fervent Green and Blue

The Knob with Gansett Point at the entrance to Quinsett Harbor. Interesting that Gansett Point on the horizon at left is balanced by a quiet tuft of a distant cumulus cloud on the right. Otherwise clear and verdant.

Internet Fair Use - The Knob with Gansett Point at the Entrance to Quinsett Harbor.

Sailing in Buzzards Bay off The Knob. I love the pink and grey depicted in the granite boulders in strong direct sunlight at mid-day.

Internet Fair Use - Sailing in Buzzards Bay off the Knob

The Knob by the Sea by Janet Gary. A dramatic detail shot of the sweeping arc of ric-rac boulders on the northern bay-side. Just lovely. The color palette here (violet, yellow, green, and blue in pale hue) is another strong emphasis for  overall effect.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Janet Gary - The Knob by the Sea

Goldenrod at the Knob in autumn.

Internet Fair Use - Goldenrod at The Knob in Autumn

A quiet stroll to The Knob.

Internet Fair Use - A Quiet Stroll to The Knob

And now for some paintings.....

"The Knob" by Liz Cutler. An impressionistic portrayal of the southern rocky shore of the peninsula's conservation area on a clear day.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Liz Cutler - "The Knob"

"Twilight" at the Knob. Karen Rinaldo Gallery.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Karen Rinaldo Gallery - "Twilight" at the Knob 

"The Knob" by Julie Crowley. An impressionistic rendition. She completes a nice work in quieting down the details of the shrubbery and grasses and waves inherent in photo-realism and depicts the feeling of being there on a sunlit day. One could almost subtitle this painting "The Invitation". 

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Julie Crowley - "The Knob"

"The Knob - Quisset Notes" by Jan Collins Selman

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Jan Collins Selman - "The Knob -Quisset Notes"

"The Knob" by Jan Collins Selman. An impressionistic realism on a cloudy, windy day. Love the sailboats to suggest the wind action. Without the sailboats, the painting would be too still. Also, like the blending of the sea and sky on the horizon.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Jan Collins Selman - "The Knob"

Susie Morell, a Daily painter, has depicted on the sailboats at Quisset Harbor. Love the overall color tones in this impression.

Internet Fair Use - Courtesy of Susie Morell - "Anchorage at Quisset Harbor"

In conclusion, perhaps yesterday's and today's blog entry will entice other creative types to visit, photograph, and paint these motifs at The Knob at Quisset Harbor on Buzzards Bay, Falmouth, MA. Thanks for visiting!

The Brothers: An Artful Dialog

One of the last artful dialogs I had with my best friend, Bob Cassidy, before he passed away last year was about an engraving.  I think he had purchased a copy somewhere and wanted to know more about it. It must have been appealing to him.  He called me and inquired about the print. Verbally, he mentioned that Vogel was on the left side, and Wallis was on the right side of the print and that it was entitled "The Brothers". I indicated that one was the artist and one was the engraver.

Internet Fair Use - The Brothers by Vogel

He wanted to know what it was worth. After a little online investigation. I was able to determine that the current asking price was $20 - $60 in good condition and provide him more detail information about the print.

"The Brothers" by Christian Leberecht Vogel was engraved by R. [Robert] Wallis. The method of print was a genuine engraving on steel, printed on high quality heavy stock paper; published by Selmar Hess, NY 1888, signed in plate. The image dimensions were 8.7/8" wide x . 6.3/4" high in landscape orientation. The paper size is 12.1/2"wide x 9.1/8" high. It shows a chiascuro background and foreground, two adolescent brothers reviewing a book, one with stylus in hand, one looking off into the distant view, bathed in light.

Christian Leberecht Vogel [4 April 1759, Dresden - 6 April 1816, Dresden] was a German painter, draughtsman, and writer on art theory. His pupils included Louise Seidler, and he was the father of the court painter and art professor Carl Christian Vogel.

Robert Wallis [Nov. 7, 1794 - Nov. 23, 1878], was an English engraver and assistant of Charles Heath [1785–1848]. He was taught by his father, and became one of the ablest of the group of supremely skillful landscape-engravers who flourished during the second quarter of the nineteenth century.

Bob was in constant pain during his last days but his art kept him going each day. I surmise that he appreciated the detail in the engraving as an influence to his scratch-board art which he had been executing for a few years. I suggested to him that since he had a copy and I had a rendition, that we each should re-appropriate and re-interpret the original in our own art methods and share our results with each other. He agreed.  But it was not to be. Shortly before he died, I received the engraving in the mail. I was surprised upon its receipt. It was a quiet, personal act from him to me.

Although he didn't say as much, I like to think that the engraving depicts us, two brothers in dialog about art and life and comparing notes across the country on a weekly, sometimes daily basis.

I was emotionally touched by these last interchanges.

Internet Fair Use - The Brothers (Detail)

Our very last phone discussion was about creating miniature artwork each together.

Internet Fair Use - The Brothers (Detail)

I treasure these last discussions as Living the Moment. I appreciate Bob's example of the Daily Walk, in the Creative Pursuit and the Artistic Endeavor.  I think Art was the Life Force for Bob.

Walking for Car Repairs: The Pine Barrens

I had decided to retain my old car this summer as a secondary vehicle despite its high mileage and get some repairs and updates accomplished. It's been a long and winding road over the weeks to accomplish the feat. Along the way, we were down too many vehicles with too many appointments and I had to walk from here-to-there to get my wife's vehicle. Along the way, I traversed these shady pine barrens and thought them lovely in the summer heat.

Copyright James E. Martin 2015 Pine Barrens 01

Copyright James E. Martin 2015 Pine Barrens 02

Copyright James E. Martin 2015 Pine Barrens 03

I like the chiascuro potential and the depth of field.

Cold Snap: String the Lights

We don't have snow but are experiencing the cold snap that is blanketing 50% of the country in snow. I put the lights on the blue spruce at the corner of the yard last night. Took some pictures early this morning. I like the hint of the moon's silver sliver.

Copyright James E. Martin 2014 Christmas Lights and a Silver Slivered Moon

The Bittering: The Origins of the Artistic Endeavor and The Creative Pursuit: The Origins

In the saga of Adam and Eve, the Judgment upon all of us was that Man should die. This is a bitter end with a bitter taste. There is nothing sweet about Death. About the only time we honor Death as a Noble Cause amongst the people is when the soldier or policeman or fireman gives their life in the duty and service to others. This is part of the Noble Cause.

And the Judgment also in Life is that Man should live by his Labor in tilling the earth through the sweat of his brow to eat the fruit of the earth for daily sustainment. We must therefore eat to live and, in most cases across world history, mankind has had to live to eat. And the Judgment also assesses that Woman should endure the Pain of childbirth. The fruit of our loins, so to say, does renew us in the sense of sustaining new life from generation to generation. There is new birth and new life. And there is great joy in the conjunction of the loins, so to say. But there is physical pain for the woman associated with the begetting.

There is much activity within the endeavors of Mankind to avoid or change the Daily Labor of physical sustenance. Daily manna doesn't fall from heaven. But we have found ways to get around the labor of daily food gathering.  The gain of riches. The seeking of financial independence. The competition amongst jobs and careers and investments to gain a better salary and income and return on investment. Speculation. Better agricultural practices. The buying and selling of foodstuffs. Building bigger grain bins. Government subsidies of commodities to impact prices. Preserving the food harvest for another day. Additives, preservatives, genetic manipulation of food to increase shelf life, etc. etc.  But we still have to eat to live.

There is much activity within the endeavors of mankind to avoid or change the Pain associated with childbirth. Contraception. Cesarean section. Epidurals. Anesthetics. Surrogate mothers. Choosing not to have a family. But the human family continues to create progeny.

Fortunately, we also have a blessing of Forgetfulness. Generally, we can recover from the Fatigue of labor and from the Pain of childbirth. We don't completely forget in our fleshly humanity because we have our memories of our experiences but the actual pain and discomfort lived in the moment is not enduring. We are fortunate to have Rest from our labor and Recovery from our discomforts. We eat, drink, and are merry. There is an underlying blessing in each of these judgments of Fatigue and Pain during our lifetime, the Satisfaction in our achievements and the Joy of Children. But because of our Mortality, we take nothing with us out of this world, neither family, nor belongings, nor the fruits of our labors.

Entropy. Matter and Energy. The degradation of all things to a lower matter and energy state over time. Corruption. Decomposition. Diffusion. Nothing lost. Nothing gained. It's not to say that the Human Endeavor is not a Work In Progress. I can see what you see when we look around. We fight against the downhill ride every day. We endure our Trials and Tribulations. Although some of us are better at it then others, a Positive Outlook puts a spin on the Human Drama. The elevation and celebration of Human Potential and Achievement is touted. Look what we can do. We each have our Unique Potential. The world has it's Favorites in it's Media Heroes. In politics, business, sports, entertainment, the arts, relationships, nationalistic enterprises, and daily news. It's the Trumpet of Hope and Optimism. Look at us!

Our individual and combined humanitarian labors across the Human Endeavor are not entirely in vain in the battles against Ignorance, Disease, Disability, Divorce, Disillusionment, Disrespect, Poverty, Tyranny, Violence, Oppression, and Death. All the Evil Stuff. We seek to improve and innovate Knowledge, Science, Technology, Medicine, Government, Service to Others, and the Arts. To achieve the generally desired outcomes of equitable and shared Employment, Education, Health, Welfare, Respect for Diversity, Peace, Beauty, and Quality of Life. All the Good Stuff.

And to make the most of our fragile moments of remaining Life itself. This is the Struggle.

To Return...to what was there before the Fall.
To Rest...from our arduous Labors.
To Recover....from our Fatigues and our Pains.
To Revisit...our memories and our visions....where we have come from and where we are going, and where we want to go.
To Resuscitate...to breath life and energy into the Sources and Drains, the daily ups and downs, of the process of living and dying.
To Rehabituate...to become familiar with, accustomed to, and acclimate to the Struggle even again.
To Recapture..the Original State. Again.
And again in Portrait. Positions. Postures. Portrayals. And even Porn.
And again in Landscape. Waterscape. Cloudscape. Treescape. Mountainscape. To Escape.
And again in Still Life. Our stuff. That we make, and we have, and that we can't take with us.
And again in Abstracts. To explore the made-up realities within our heads that don't conform to the visible natural world outside.

This is the Artistic Endeavor and the Creative Pursuit within the Human Endeavor. To focus one's Life Force and Energy to recapture what was there before the Fall. And there seems to be a drive to pour our Impressions from our own individual Methods into an Expression. To do it our way. To tell our story. To be a god. To be as God. Creating. Something of Value. The essence of Life. And of Lasting Things. But it is not creating something out of nothing. That's a mockery. It is only creating from what is already around us.

To capture Innocence, Purity, Honor, Truth, Beauty, Well-being, Time, and Eternal Life.  Probably lots of other good stuff. To pass it forward. To give back. The Work-Around. The Noble Cause. The Artistic Endeavor. The Creative Pursuit. To chase the Old...what is already known. To chase the New...what is not yet known. The Original Idea.

So we each take a Trip in the long Fall. We conduct our Daily Walk along the Journey. Each in our own way, we Recover and Recapture. We seek a Redemption. This is Life.

The Bedevilment: The Anguish of Grief and Loss

Following the Ashamedness that was conjoined with the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve were bedeviled with Anguish. From Milton's Paradise Lost:

"Not only tears
Rained at their eyes, but high winds worse within
Began to rise."

There was a tremendous sense of Loss. Grief. Guilt. Separateness. Aloneness. Even in the presence of each other. The first argument. The first debate. The first inquiry as to Why? Who? When? The first blame game. The first forensic investigation. The first root cause analysis. The first finger pointing.

The first Containment Action. The first Corrective Action. The First Preventive Action. The first Now What?

The first Creative Endeavor. The first Artistic Pursuit. What should we do to fix what is now broken? What do we do to recover what was lost? What do we do to amend our Grief? What do we do to regain and recapture Paradise?

Paradise. Perfection. Beauty. Truth. Honor. Purity. Peace. Innocence. Lost.

Internet Fair Use - Gustave Dore's The Bedevilment

The Becoming: Self-awareness in Context of Bigger Things

Satan, disguised as a wily Serpent, had beguiled Eve that mankind could be a god. As an equal to God. Even the Serpent wanted to achieve that endeavor. So he suggested the Tree of Knowledge. If she only had the same Knowledge as God, how wonderful that would be and how great she would become. IF she only knew. If SHE only knew. If she only KNEW. If she only knew.

Adam's Rib, of the same flesh and blood, picked the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve ate of that fruit and their eyes were opened to new, additional knowledge and discernment. Of Good and Evil. That they could Be. That they could Become. They may have been made perfect but they were not made immutable. Their eyes were opened to things unseen as yet.

And they became ashamed in this new knowledge. They knew their disobedience. Right and wrong. Good and bad. Righteous and unrighteous. Good and Evil. . They sought protection. They sought a covering. In the chiascuro events, of Light and Darkness, they hid from the Light.

But we see through the glass darkly about the Good and the Evil of this Human Endeavor. The Chiascuro event.

 Internet Fair Use - Gustave Dore's The Becoming

It has been said that, the one prevailing characteristic regarding leaders among men, is that they are self-aware. They have situation awareness. They know who they are within the context of larger things. They have proper and balanced perspective. They understand. They get it.