touching on water
paintings by thomas paquette
The Rockwell Museum
touching on water
paintings by thomas paquette The Rockwell Museum Corning, New York January 23 - March 29, 2015
Catalogue for the exhibition organized by The Rockwell Museum, Corning, New York “Touching on Water: Paintings by Thomas Paquette” January 23 - March 29, 2015 The Rockwell Museum: an engaging place that ignites imagination, challenges perspectives and fosters conversation through art about America. rockwellmuseum.org Published by Eyeful Press P.O. Box 191, Warren, Pennsylvania, 16365-0191 USA eyefulpress.com Publication date: January 2015 Copyright © 2015 by Thomas Paquette thomaspaquette.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical or photographic, without prior written permission from the publisher. THIS IS AN ABRIDGED ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE BOOK 100-page print copies are available from publisher: books@eyefulpress.com
Touching on Water
Foreword by Kirsty Harper Buchanan
Paintings by Thomas Paquette
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Oil paintings
13
Goauche paintings
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Biography
94
A note
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foreword
Touching on Water by Kirsty Harper Buchanan Curator of Collections The Rockwell Museum
In a culture where bigger is often viewed as more important, many of the works of Thomas Paquette stand in contradiction to this commercial notion. In addition to his primary focus in oil painting, Paquette is also well known for his gouache works on paper. The surprising nature of those works comes not from the subject matter or technique employed but rather from the size. The majority of the gouaches are shockingly small – most no larger than the palm of your hand. Unexpected as well is the fact that the images of the gouaches included in this catalog have been reproduced at their actual size. The uniquely small gouaches of this celebrated artist are engaging in their sheer dimensions. The works physically draw us to them by necessity, their size demanding a close proximity in order to truly be seen. The diminutive stature of each work instigates audience movement, prompting us to move closer to the work and into a shared spatial context. Once within the viewer’s “personal space” the magnetic little paintings have now created an opportunity for direct engagement with their audience. In this age of fabricated concepts and monumental installations, the power inherent in Paquette’s beautiful gouaches is their ability to cultivate an intimate setting and then personally invite us to share it with them.
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Touching on Water, organized by The Rockwell Museum, features both the unique gouache as well as large-format oil paintings of Paquette. The artist’s notable body of oil paintings are a striking contrast in scale to the previously mentioned gouache works featured in this exhibition. Paquette addresses through both media the element of water within the natural environment. Water is celebrated here as a fundamental component of the land: it sustains life both vegetal and animal. Without it there would be no landscape. This theme of water as sustainer also serves to unite the subject matter with its audience, for without water there would be no viewer. Human beings and the earth they inhabit are inextricably linked as dependents upon water, and Paquette pays homage to this life-giving force through his expertlyrendered oil and gouache works. The necessity of water to the existence of the works of art themselves is imbedded within the artist’s choice of medium. Gouache, being an incarnation of watercolor, inherently owes its existence to water as well. The landscapes curated for this exhibition are almost entirely void of any human reference. They are pure studies of land and water in their most untouched state. Except for the rare inclusion of a road or power line, there is virtually no evidence of civilization which has been incorporated. These compositional choices, whether consciously or subconsciously executed, express Paquette’s sense of conservation. His paintings focus our attention on the trees and the forests and the rivers – and not on human manipulation of the earth. It is not until we seek similar scenes of nature in our own lives that we realize the difficulty in finding such untouched expanses of pristine beauty in the modern wilderness. The lack of human influence in Paquette’s landscape paintings serves to encourage us to tread lightly and leave no mark.
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oil paintings
Interlude of Light, 2011, oil on linen, 30 x 46 inches
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Precipice, 1999, oil on wood panel, 10-1/4 x 8-3/4 inches
Low Sun, Mt. Desert Island, 2002, oil on canvas, 30 x 64 inches
Hidden River, 2007, oil on linen, 36 x 46 inches
Ebullient River, 2007, oil on linen, 35 x 25 inches
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14
Hull’s Falls on the Ausable, 2008, oil on linen, 16 x 12 inches
Sky Ascending, 2008, oil on linen, 36 x 46 inches
[Final] Harper’s Ferry, 2011, oil on wood panel, 13 x 15 inches
Kaaterskill Falls and Tree, 2008, oil on linen, 22 x 24 inches
Original Highway, 2011, oil on linen, 28 x 34 inches
Keyhole Falls, 2011, oil on linen, 22 x 16 inches
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Derwentwater, Cumbrian Sky, 2014, oil on linen, 42 x 30 inches
Moose River II, 2011, oil on linen, 12 x 16 inches
Interlude of Light I, 2014, oil on paper mounted on board, 3-3/4 x 5-3/4 inches
River View II, 2012, oil on linen, 28 x 40 inches
River View I, 2012, oil on wood panel, 14 x 18 inches
Power, 2014, oil on wood panel, 14 x 10 inches
Sun Play, Mesa Lane Beach, 2015, oil on wood panel, 14 x 10 inches
River Island study, 2015, oil on linen, 5 x 12-1/2 inches
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Moonrise with Wires, 2012, oil on paper mounted on board, 3-3/4 x 3 inches
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A Brilliant Moment, 2014, oil on paper mounted on board, 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches
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Sky Befalling, 2005, oil on linen, 38 x 66 inches
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gouache paintings
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Sky Pond, 1993, gouache, 6-3/4 x 3-1/2 inches
Emerald Lake, 1993, gouache, 5-1/4 x 6-1/4 inches
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Wolfe’s Neck Point, 1992, gouache, 2-1/2 x 3-1/8 inches
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Veil of Snow, 1992, gouache, 1-1/4 x 1-3/4 inches
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The Earth’s Eye, 1995, gouache, 2-7/8 x 2-1/2 inches
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Retreating Sea, 2001, gouache, 2-1/4 x 3-1/2 inches
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Rocky Coast, 2002, gouache, 2-7/8 x 4 inches
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Watercourse at Dusk, 2002, gouache, 2-1/4 x 3-1/2 inches
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Guardians of Light, 2004, gouache, 3-1/2 x 2-7/8 inches
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Cherry Valley Creek, 2003, gouache, 2-3/4 x 1-5/8 inches
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Stacked Mountains, 2007, gouache, 2-3/4 x 2-3/8 inches
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Grizzly Creek IV, 2007, gouache, 2-7/8 x 3-5/8 inches
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Plain above Placid, 2009, gouache, 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 inches
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Lower Penobscot River, 2006, gouache, 2-3/4 x 4-3/8 inches
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Arrangement of Trees, 2010, gouache, 3 x 2-1/2 inches
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Mud Puddle, Wales, 2006, gouache, 2-3/4 x 2 inches
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Kaaterskill Falls, 2008, gouache, 2-7/8 x 3-1/8 inches
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River View with Ash, 2012, gouache, 2-5/8 x 3-7/8 inches
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Morning Creek III, 2010, gouache, 4-5/8 x 3-1/8 inches
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biography
Thomas Paquette was born in Minneapolis and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Bemidji State University, from which he graduated summa cum laude. He holds a MFA in Painting from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, which he attended on a full fellowship. Prior to that, he spent a few years hitchhiking and riding freight trains across the continent, experiencing some of the landscapes that he now paints full-time. His paintings have been the subject of more than fifty solo exhibitions in museums and galleries across the country, and have been selected for exhibition at sixteen U.S. Embassies on five continents. A large exhibition of his work, On Nature’s Terms: Paintings by Thomas Paquette commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, traveled to museums in California, Indiana, and New York in 2014 and 2015. Thomas lives in northwestern Pennsylvania with his artist/ musician wife, Ellen, and a cat and a dog, who for increased security reasons will remain nameless.
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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 54
Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY, “Touching on Water” (one artist) Evansville Museum of Art and Science, Evansville, IN, “On Nature’s Terms” (one artist) Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, (one artist) U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia Wildling Art Museum, Solvang, CA, “On Nature’s Terms” (one artist) Quick Center for the Arts, St. Bonaventure, NY, “On Nature’s Terms” (one artist) Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (one artist) Groveland Gallery, Minneapolis, MN (one artist) U.S. Embassy in Libreville, Gabon Dowling Walsh Gallery, Rockland, ME (one artist) Groveland Gallery, Minneapolis, MN (one artist) Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winona, MN, “The Raging Red and the Mighty Mississippi” U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown, NY (one artist) Windham Fine Arts, Windham, NY (one artist) Dowling Walsh Gallery, Rockland, ME (one artist) D. Wigmore Fine Art, New York, NY, “Adirondack Art Today” U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN (one artist) Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, PA (one artist) Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (one artist) Roberson Museum, Binghamton, NY “Visions of the Susquehanna” (traveling) Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, PA (one artist) Élan Fine Arts, Rockport, ME (one artist) Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA (one artist) Governor’s Residence, Harrisburg, PA, “Visions of the Susquehanna” (traveling) Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (one artist) Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA, “Visions of the Susquehanna” (traveling) Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA, “Visions of the Susquehanna” (traveling) U.S. Interests Section (U.S. Embassy) in Havana, Cuba Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE, (one artist) Jameson Gallery, Portland, ME (one artist) Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA (one artist) U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece
2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1998 1997 1996 1994 1993 1991 1990
Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA (one artist) Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, PA, “Along the Lincoln Highway” Jameson Gallery, Portland, ME (one artist) Flanders Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, MN (one artist) American Institute, Taipei, Taiwan U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT (one artist) Crary Art Gallery, Warren, PA (one artist) Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN, “Defining a Collection: Recent Art Acquisitions” U.S. Embassy in St. Petersburg, Russia, “Natural America” Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Vienna, Austria Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, GA (one artist) Aucocisco Gallery, Portland, ME (one artist) Gleason Fine Art, Camden, ME (one artist) The Museum of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL (one artist) Flanders Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, MN (one artist) American Academy in Rome, Italy (studio exhibition - solo) U.S. Embassy in Rome, Italy (selected) Flanders Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, MN (one-artist) U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile, “Maine Light” Maine State Capitol, Augusta, ME (one-artist) Fischbach Gallery, New York, NY (one-artist) Lydon Fine Art, Chicago, IL (one-artist) Mahler Gallery, Washington, DC (one-artist) Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport, ME (one-artist) Mahler Gallery, Washington, DC (one-artist) University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME (one-artist) Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL, “Three National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Fellows” MC Gallery, Minneapolis, MN (one-artist)
RESIDENCIES / FELLOWSHIPS
2011 2006 2005 2004 2000
Artist Residency, Blue Mountain Center, Blue Mountain Lake, NY American Artist Abroad, U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Athens Special Opportunity Stipend, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Residency, Robert M. MacNamara Foundation, Westport Island, Maine Visiting Artist Residency, American Academy in Rome, Italy 55
1999 Guest Artist, Aegean Arts and Cultural Exchange, Greece 1999 Visiting Artist, Plymouth University, Exeter, England 1999 Visiting Artist, University of Wales, Cardiff, Wales 1998 Travel Grant, John Anson Kittredge Educational Fund 1997 Artist-in-Residence, Yosemite National Park 1994 Artist-in-Residence, Acadia National Park 1993 Artist-in-Residence, Rocky Mountain National Park 1993 Shep Forest Fellowship Residency, Millay Colony for the Arts 1989-91 Fellowship and Residency, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Miami 1985-88 Full Graduate Fellowship, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
COLLECTIONS Acadia National Park Museum Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp Beach Museum of Art Bank of America Brinton Museum L.L. Bean Carlson School of Management Cigna Museum Colby College Commerce Bancshares Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers Cunard Lines – Queen Mary II Erie Art Museum Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Fidelity Investments Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum Holland America Ministry of Economics, Taiwan, R.O.C. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Minnesota Historical Society Mint Museum of Art Morgan Stanley Smith Barney National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts New Britain Museum of American Art PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance
Portland Museum of Art Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History Southern Illinois University Museum SPX Corporation State of Maine State of Minnesota State of Montana TD Banknorth Thomson Financial U.S. Department of State [Loans to U.S. Embassies in Amman, Jordan; Georgetown, Guyana; Brazzaville, Congo; Havana, Cuba; Athens, Greece (twice); Taipei, Taiwan; Vienna, Austria; St. Petersburg, Russia; Rome, Italy; Santiago, Chile; San Salvador, El Salvador; Riga, Latvia; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; N’Djamena, Chad] U.S. Department of State, Libreville permanent collection U.S.T., Inc UNUM Susquehanna Heritage Region, Susquehanna Art Collection Wells Fargo Westmoreland Museum of American Art Western Illinois University Wildling Art Museum Yosemite National Park Museum