From Sheep Island, Maine 1951

John Marin made this watercolour on paper, called From Sheep Island, Maine, probably en plein air, looking out to the sea. There’s something very quick and immediate about it; you can feel the wind and sun on your face! Marin's use of washes creates a sense of transparency, like light filtering through the air and water. He lets the white of the paper shine through, giving the painting a luminous quality. The strokes of blue, grey and black are so free. I can imagine him, squinting, trying to capture the essence of the place. It's like he's saying, "This is how I see it, take it or leave it." I think Marin’s work shows us how painting can be a way of thinking and feeling. All painters stand on the shoulders of those who came before, learning from and pushing against the boundaries of what painting can be. It’s an ongoing experiment.