David Graeme Baker of Hancock is working on a series of paintings in which coats and other clothing are prominent.—STAFF PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE WEAVER

Four Maine Artists Make Most Of Natural Light and Quiet to Create

When the days shorten and snowbanks create a white cocoon around the house, the inclination is to escape indoors away from the challenging elements.

Artists tend to retreat too, but on two levels — internally as well as externally.

“The main joy of winter in Maine is that period of isolation that all artists need,” said William Irvine, whose studio is just a doorway away from his cozy kitchen in Blue Hill.

What makes things more difficult is the length of day.

“I only work by daylight — I don’t like the colors to change,” said Irvine. “In the summer there is more light so I get a much longer period in which to work.”

Other Hancock County artists say they alter their work, subject, and/or domestic routines somewhat during the long winters in Maine.

Like Irvine, David Graeme Baker of Hancock paints only by natural light, so his workdays are somewhat shorter in the winter.

Sullivan sculptor Rick Beckjord works in wood, clay and plaster in the winter, when he is working inside. He saves his stone work for summers, when he can be outside.

Holly Meade of Sedgwick finds that against the backdrop of “the austerity of winter,” ideas that have been percolating for some time might be more likely to rise to the surface.

“I spent last February in Santa Fe housesitting, but I am just now doing a few woodblock prints from my experience there,” she said. “In the winter there are no interruptions. I look forward to the downtime, the simplicity of life.”

Sullivan sculptor Rick Beckjord works in wood, clay, and plaster, in the winter. He saves his stone work for summers, when he can be outside.—STAFF PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE WEAVER

Irvine, a native of Scotland who moved to Maine 35 years ago, paints from about 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the winter with a break for lunch. In the summer, “I paint as long as it takes to finish a painting,” he said.

This winter he is painting shapes evoked by landscapes.

“During the winter I like to take chances with my work, experiment more,” Irvine said. “There’s not a lot of pressure from galleries in the winter.”

Meade’s gallery is in her home on Reach Road in Sedgwick, so in the summer she is meeting visitors as well as working on her woodblock creations and her children’s book illustrations.

She often works in found wood — an old pastry board, head board, even, once, an ironing board — as well as Shina plywood that she orders from Japan because it has very little grain.

“The wood wants to be a pattern,” Meade said. “There is that tension, an energy, in woodblock prints that I don’t find in painting.”

She rises at about 6 a.m. and does Yoga or Tai Chi, or sometimes takes a long walk before settling down to work. She may work after dinner and on weekends, but said she also socializes more in the winter.

“People need to do that,” Meade said.

Beckjord, who moved to Maine in 1987, often sculpts in wood because it’s inexpensive, light, and easy to move. The only hassle, he said, are the large cracks that might emerge in a finished piece later. He fills the cracks with more wood or wax.

This winter he is sculpting a porcupine, using a dead one as a model.

“I prefer to work from live animals, but they move around a lot,” said Beckjord, an avid bicyclist and hiker who spends as much time outside as he does in his small home on Punkinville Road in Sullivan. “Forms in nature are always very strong and very true. Anything you can devise doesn’t come close.”

In the morning he gathers firewood outside for heating, pumps water from the well, and attends to correspondence. He then takes a long hike, sometimes up to four hours, and works in his studio for more than one hour.

Sedgwick artist Holly Meade works primarily in wood such as the woodblock (above) displayed in her studio. She often uses found wood such as an old pastry or head board.—STAFF PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE WEAVER

Lunch follows, and then more chores, followed by a nap and then a long bike ride. He is often back in his studio about 10 p.m. and will often work until midnight.

“Art takes a backseat to my need to get out and exercise,” he said. “Output is not my top priority.”

The routine at David Graeme Baker’s home is decidedly domestic and centers largely around he and his wife Sarah’s two boys, Finnegan, 5, and Corin, 2.

“The kids are off to day care four days a week, so I start work at 8:30 a.m. and wrap up about 4 p.m. and walk the dog,” he said. “I paint by natural light, so it’s a nuisance in the winter. The days are so short. In the summer I often push it until the kids get into the driveway. “

He recently completed a series of commissioned portraits and is now working on paintings of interiors with figures. Coats and other clothing are prominent.

“The coats? I don’t know. It’s a loosely symbolic thing — metaphorically removing a layer to see more deeply into a persona,” Baker said. “I love painting fabric and the coat is a great vehicle for doing that.”

A wedding gown and other dresses are draped on a wood beam in his studio.

“I’m one of the few men with a collection of dresses who doesn’t wear them,” he said.

William Irvine, Blue Hill Originally from: Troon, Scotland. A small coastal town similar to Blue Hill but without the snow. Medium: Mostly oil on canvas, board, paper or whatever is at hand. Reading lately: I’ve just finished reading the writings of Truman Capote. I love the precision and the economy of his words. That is what I try to do in my painting, communicate in a sparse, expressive way. Last movie seen: I like thrillers, particularly ‘film noir.’ There is fine artistry in that genre, evocative settings, great tonal contrasts, and a linear story, the bad guy loses and the good-looking dame survives with all makeup intact, “The Big Steal,” for example, with Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. Also, they have to be close captioned, no exceptions. Favorite music: I play my CDs when I feel in a relaxed mood, mostly romantic vocalists, Sinatra, Sade, Rod Stewart, Nat King Cole. The oldies, like myself. Current artwork: This time of year, mid winter, when most of my galleries are in hibernation, I like to push my horizons, experiment. So I have been painting landscapes in a new way, new to me, different from what other artists have done. Sometimes they have life, sometimes not. That is the nature of experiment. Comfort food: Spaghetti Bolognese. When I lived in London, a poor starving artist, that is what saved me. The occasional 2 shilling plate of spaghetti. I still love it. Source of inspiration: The banal but true answer is nature, its power, its permanence and my fleeting passage through it. In its presence, I am in awe and it is that sense of wonder that gets me into my studio to converse with the gods. Contact info: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Holly Meade, Sedgwick Originally from: Hamilton, Mass. Medium: Wood block printing, oil-base inks on natural fiber papers Reading lately: “Art and Physics” by Leonard Schlain Last movie seen: “Billy Elliott” (again) Music: “I listen to Native American flute music a lot while I work, R. Carlos Nakai. The sound speaks of large outdoor spaces, is searing and lonely and lovely. I find it perfect to work to” Current artwork: Several prints inspired by a month long visit to New Mexico last year. And the initial drawings for a children’s book titled “In The Wild” by David Elliott. Comfort food: A bowl of basmati rice with olive oil. Source of inspiration: Right now, perhaps, the two most important are Matsubara Naoka, and Munakata Shiko, both woodblock printers. Contact info: reachroadgallery.com.

Rick Beckjord, Sullivan Originally from: Boston Medium : Wood, stone, clay, plaster and bronze. Reading lately: Herman Hesse’s “Narcissus and Goldmund” and “The Golden Sayings of Epictetus.” Last movie seen: “Avenue Montaigne.” Music: African music, Orchestra Baobab. Current work: The porcupine. Comfort food: Green tea. Source of inspiration: Ernst Borlach. Contact info: 422-6599, John Edwards Market’s Wine Cellar Gallery.

David Graeme Baker, Hancock Originally from: Cape Town, South Africa. Medium: Oil painting. Reading lately: The New Yorker, travel guides for Ireland (I have a fellowship to paint in Ireland this spring for 10 weeks). Biography of Willie Nelson by Joe Nick Patoski. Last movie seen: “Bolt” (with the kids). “Lars and the Real Girl” (not with kids). Music: I’ve just started teaching myself to play the Dobro, so I’ve downloaded several bluegrass tunes that feature the dobro from The Biscuit Burners and the Dan Tyminski Band. Other non-bluegrass music: Eilen Jewell, Greg Brown, Eddie Vedder (from the film “Into the Wild”), plus streaming music from Pandora. Current work: I’m happily working on some narrative interior scenes that feature a figure. Comfort food: Homemade baguettes, dark chocolate, Curry Noodle Soup (from Heidi Swanson’s “Super Natural Cooking”). Source of inspiration: Recently, Dutch painters Jan Vermeer and Gerard ter Borch. I’ve also been thinking lately about Andy Wyeth and his contribution/ legacy. Contact info: davidbakerpainting.com, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , courthousegallery.com