The Immediate Landscape

Carol L. Douglas Studio/Richards Hill Gallery
394 Commercial Street, Rockport, ME, 04856
June 28-July 10, 2025
Art gallery opening: Saturday, June 28, 4-7 PM
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, noon-5 PM (closed June 25-26)

About Grace

Before I talk about my upcoming show, I want to tell you about my granddaughter Grace, age 9. She was at my studio last week and made me some signs (above). You may remember Grace because she modeled for In Control (Grace and her unicorn) when she was five.

This child is my creative mini-me. That’s especially nice because, although I taught my kids to draw and paint, they all then went into the STEM fields. Most people wouldn’t think that was failure, but I took it personally.

Grace, on the other hand, lives in a towering collection of books, musical instruments and art and craft supplies. Some days, when I see her room, I’m exasperated. Other days, I pity my poor parents, because it looks eerily like my room at that age. To her engineer parents’ credit, they never limit her creative endeavors.

Grace recently decided I needed better signage for my art gallery opening. (The awning sign is down, awaiting replacement.) So, she made me the above, which I had to share with you.

Now, about my opening this coming weekend

We spend, on average, 1-2 seconds per image looking at pictures on Instagram. That leaves us more distracted and distractable than ever. And yet, the cure for that is all around us; that is to just slow down and look and listen. That’s especially true in a time where we spend way too much time doomscrolling (and I’m the worst offender).

The Immediate Landscape: a close observation of everyday beauty explores this theme through landscape painting. I’ve tried to pick paintings which are about the beauty of the natural world, because we’re hardwired to find nature beautiful. Lush greenery is lively. Open vistas suggest safety and brilliant colors represent vitality. Nature also contains patterns that appeal to our sense of harmony and balance.

The calming response to nature has been documented in many studies. Nature reduces stress and elevates mood. We associate it with peace. Over time, we’ve also overlaid nature with personal and cultural symbolic meaning.

So many of us spend our days in offices or on our computers. Natural landscapes offer what Instagram cannot, including irregular, everchanging forms instead of gridded structures, shifting, filtered light instead of artificial light, and timelessness instead of deadlines. That heightens our perception of beauty in nature.

This heat wave should be broken by the weekend, and I’ll be at my art gallery opening from 4-7 PM on Saturday, with wine and cool drinks and treats. Please join me!

Carol L. Douglas Studio/Richards Hill Gallery, 394 Commercial Street, Rockport, ME, 04856
June 28-July 10, 2025
Saturday, June 28, 4-7 PM
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, noon-5 PM (closed June 25-26)

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

• Sea and Sky at Acadia National Park, August 3-8, 2025.
• Find Your Authentic Voice in Plein Air, Berkshires, MA, August 11-15, 2025.
• Immersive In-Person Fall Workshop, Rockport, ME, October 6-10, 2025.