Connecting with Nature York, Maine, artist Gail Claes is drawn to the spirit of the Seacoast

The woman visiting the Nantucket gallery was immediately drawn to the painting. In the artwork, a little blonde girl sat facing the water in her tiny sun suit. To the shopper, it wasn't just any little girl

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Thursday, February 15, 2007
Connecting with Nature York, Maine, artist Gail Claes is drawn to the spirit of the Seacoast

The woman visiting the Nantucket gallery was immediately drawn to the painting. In the artwork, a little blonde girl sat facing the water in her tiny sun suit. To the shopper, it wasn't just any little girl. To her, it was so reminiscent of her young daughter who had passed away, and it spoke so warmly of a lifetime remembered, that she had to own this work.

It is in such moments that Gail Claes, who painted it, is reminded of why she is an artist. Such moments, said the York, Maine, resident, affect her profoundly.

"I hope my work in some ways will make people's lives a little happier, that it will lift their spirits in some way or touch a past memory," she said.

Claes always had an appreciation for art, but never thought it was something she could do.

"I thought it was a gift you were born with," she explained.

About 35 years ago she was taking care of her husband's handicapped aunt, when she admired the drawings and pastels the older woman had done in her youth.

So her husband's aunt sat Claes down one day with a pencil and paper, clipped a photo from a newspaper and encouraged her to try to sketch it.

"I was surprised at how good it made me feel. It was a seed being planted, a door being opened and a light turned on," she recalled.

She went home that day and had her daughter sit for her while she sketched her. She began taking classes.

Claes has studied at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset, Mass., receiving instruction in oils, pastels and watercolors — ranging from portraits, still lifes, figures and landscapes — from such accomplished artists as Michael Keane, Clement Micarelli and Constance Pratt.

"It was such an incredible feeling being able to create," she said.

That feeling and passion has never left her.

"It's always a wonder to me. I always encourage people at any age not to be afraid to try."

John Huff/Staff photographer "Beach Twins," by Gail Claes.

She has been painting professionally for more than 25 years. There are ongoing exhibits of her work at the York Art Association, the Copley Society of Boston and the Birdsey Gallery of Osterville, Mass.

"I guess you can call me a late bloomer," she said.

Those who know her and her work are full of praise for Claes' paintings and the artist behind them.

"She is a soulful person who takes great pride in her work. To me she is a hidden gem in the art world," said Terry Grant of Merrimack, who has known Claes for 10 years. Claes has done several paintings of Grant's daughters. "More people need to see her work," she added.

Claes said she takes great pleasure in capturing a moment in time, and is constantly observing everything around her.

"It is when we are connecting with nature that we awaken our senses and our hearts become light and our soul is nourished," she said. "I feel nature has a wonderful healing affect on our minds, body and spirits. We need to slow our pace and enjoy the world around us."

Grant said she admires the fact that Claes can capture what she calls "the essence of memories."

"Memories are treasures and those treasures, her paintings, make us smile and remember," Grant said. "How can you not admire that? Not a lot of artists can do that. Some just paint, others become part of their work."

John Huff/Staff photographer Local artist Gail Claes holds up one of her paintings at her York home studio recently.

Claes hopes her strengths include the ability to be open to new ideas and a deeper way of seeing life, and a willingness to share what she has learned with others.

People tell her they recognize her work by her palate and the manner in which she applies her colors.

She primarily paints in oils, drawn to the medium because of its consistency, the way the colors mix and the soft fluid feeling of paint covering a canvas. She also enjoys occasional forays into pastels and watercolors.

She has learned to follow the creative process wherever it takes her. Marine artist Michael Keane helped her realize that, by not locking into any set of rules, every painting has to be approached in a new and different way.

Claes has to feel enthusiastic about the subject matter before she will paint it. What inspires a decision to paint something she said is to try to recreate the feeling she had when she first encountered the subject, whether it's people or landscapes.

She succeeds admirably said Margaret Richardson, who lives with her husband Fred Richardson in Middleton, Mass., and Drake's Island, Maine. The couple owns some of Claes' art.

John Huff/Staff photographer "Afternoon Twilight"by Gail Claes.

"She has an ability to take a landscape, a familiar scene, a child's wonder and joy at the seaside and capture that moment on canvas and make us feel as if we are there seeing what she sees," Richardson explained.

Though Claes' travels throughout England and Scotland have inspired many paintings, she finds continual inspiration at home. She believes living in New England near the Seacoast has a profound influence on what she paints. She grew up in Weymouth and Hanover, Mass., and also has lived in Virginia.

"I know I could never live far from the North East coast," she said. "There are so many points of inspiration on the Seacoast and New England."

She is mostly attracted to the ocean, beaches, coastal waterways and marshes for subject matter. And even her landscapes are usually water related.

Her affinity for painting children on the beach goes back to her own childhood.

John Huff/Staff photographer "Quiet Bay," by Gail Claes.

"As a child it was the summers near the ocean that gave a sense of wonder and freedom," she explained.

Claes considers the world around her as her source of creativity. She hopes she is moving in the direction of becoming a more spiritual person and conveying that in her art.

"I believe everything has a spirit and I try and find that spirit in everything I paint," she said.

More information about Claes and her work can be found at www.gailclaesstudio.com. She can be contacted via e-mail at agmerlin@maine.rr.com; via P.O. Box 83, York, ME 03909; or by phone at 207-351-1832.