SEPTEMBER· PORTLAND MONTHLY MAGAZINE

from Portland Monthly Magazine September 2000

by portlandmonthlymagazine

Maine ArtAnnual 2000

2000· VOLUME 15, NUMBER 6. CONTENTS

11 Going, Going, Gone!

Rocb\'ell Kent paintings have been soaring at auction all summer. B~'Robert Rightmire,

14 20 Top Foliage Attractions

B\' Lindsev Ward.

17 Wild Man Michael Waterman

~atalie Merchant's recent purchase of two oil paintings by Waterman is just one of many legends surrounding a man who is truly de\'oted to his art. By Colin Sargent, co\'er & photos by Diane Hudson.

20 A Passage For lndia

Charles Woodbury's daughter-in-law, "India" Woodbury, 95, isdelighted by her father-in-law's renewed popularity and is in no small measure responsible for it. But what are her plans for her exquisite private collection? Bv Stuart Nudelman

26 Flying Home

It's the name of a Bennie Goodman song and the incredible feeling \ou get sailing up the coast of Maine from Kennebunkport to Portland at 600 feet aboard the Hood blimp. Aerial photos by Diane Hudson.

29 There Ought To Be A Law

..,against thro\\'ing the sportsmanship out of sports in Maine, B\' Ke\'in LeDuc,

32 The Triumph 8: Tragedy of Fred Bonnie

Just days after his breakthrough novel hit the streets, Portland's Fred Bonnie, Che\'enls 1964, suffered a fatal auto accident which left him first in a coma and finally lost to a growing audience of appreciative readers in both the North and South. Story and re',-iewof Thanh Ho Delivers by William David Barry.

35 Frizzell's Mystery Mural

Colorful I~cal Ralph Frizzell (1909-1942) flirted with socialism and died young at 33. But where is the third of his three murals at Clifford Elementary? By Herbert Adams.

6 From The Editor:

Artistic Half Lives, 7 Letters 38 Restaurant Guide 39 Review: Local 188 40 Calendar 43 For Sale: Peaks lsland Bunker (graphic left) 43 New England Homes 8: Living 47 Fiction: "For My Father," by Johanna Rodriguez

Through tape-recorded personal interviews, your stories are thoughriully gathered to create a beautiful heirloom book, to be treasured now and by future generations.

Life Stories • Memoirs Little-Story Books Family Histories Company Chronicles

aratoria Life Stories

Catherine Fisher P.O. Box 8656, Portland, Maine 04104 207828-8644 www.oratoria.com

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AIr~n§~nce Ha1f ILnv<e§

OHN MARIN (1870-1953) has an exciting new career - on the internet. A recent survey of eBay.com reveals a surge of interest in his engravings of New York,

Venice, and Maine (his island paintings are an inspiration for Maine's finest artists). Of course, Marin, who spent some of his best years painting in a chicken coop, couldn't have anticipated such a wave of e-enthusiasm, but he's left us a body of work so extensive there's enough for everyone to collect.

Had you visited eBay.com a few weeks ago, you could have purchased a gorgeous signed Marin engraving of the Brooklyn Bridge on brown woven paper for just $37.61 (I guess the competition caved at $37.60). His signature alone is worth more than that! But at least he's out there, winning a new audience.

In March, 1936, the National Academy of Design held a memorial exhibition in itslong, dark hall in New York City for two best friends. Back then, Portland's Walter Griffin and Childe Hassam were displayed as "co-equals in fame." The family of Childe Hassam auctioned all of his work at his death, giving Hassam a sort ofViking funeral. His paintings and personal effects entered the market and were sold and resold. They were seen: Hassam went up in a big glow.

But like true Yankees, Griffin's family couldn't bear to part with their paintings, denying the art market the body of work it needed to assure his reputation. I guess you know the rest.

That's why India Woodbury, daughterin-law of Charles Woodbury, has such a difficult decision (see our storyby Stuart Nudelman, p. 20). With her father-inlaw enjoying a resurgence, should she release her extensive private collection of his work or pass it down to future generations? I'm glad I don't have to decide.

That's what makes cover artist Michael Waterman (a new enthusiastic collector issinger Natalie Merchant; see story, page 17)such a good bet. Not only ishis work strikingly original, but he's painted literally thousands of images so he'll be a force in the art world 100 years from now. Let's get together in the year 2100 and see. -&