Art of Katahdin, 2013

Reinventing myself in 2007, I intentionally sidestepped my art career to work on a book with the hopes of someday becoming an author. My first book, Art of Katahdin, was written from the perspective of a plein air landscape painter, and the choices I made and the layout design reflected my background in art. The key aspect of this shift was an innate curiosity about the visual and cultural history of the landscape I was painting. Thus, with first-hand experience, the writing and painting would inform one another.

Art of Acadia, 2016

As I came to interpret the Katahdin and Mount Desert Island regions in paint, I also collected antique postcards, photographs, maps, books and articles that had pertinent imagery and narratives. The art of the Acadia region was rich in discoveries that helped my brother Carl and I set its history in the context of the centennial celebrations of Acadia National Park and the National Park Service in 2016. The content of both books helped shape the talk I presented at Colby College for the symposium “Valuing the Aesthetics of Nature: The Role of the Visual Artist in the American Conservation Movement.”

Penobscot East Branch Lands: A Journey Through Time

This book, published in 2016, was written to support the case for preservation of the proposed 85,000-acre Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Copies of the book were presented to President Obama and his staff, as well as to officials from the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. Its purpose was to highlight the prominent historical, cultural, and social features of the lands under consideration. These features are showcased in short chapters on the Native American presence, the Monument Line, logging, recreation, sporting camps, artists, and the International Appalachian Trail, as well as profiles of Henry David Thoreau, Teddy Roosevelt, Percival P. Baxter, Myron Avery, William O. Douglas, and Don Fendler.

Paintings of Portland

Paintings of Portland, 2018, illustrates a special sense of place in the history of Maine art. In starting to make lists, gather written and visual materials, and query scholars of Portland history, I discovered that many of the artists on my docent-led walking tours in Evergreen Cemetery—John Calvin Stevens, Mildred Burrage, Charles Frederick Kimball, Walter Griffin, and Mary King Longfellow—could be included in the book. Having set up my easel at places like Capisic Pond, Gilsland Farm, Mackworth Island, the Spurwink Marshes and Ferry Beach, I understood that the joy I have received while living in this city lies in its proximity to natural beauty spots, its traditions in arts and crafts, and the energy of its contemporary arts community.

David’s books are available in local book stores and online. If you would like a signed copy please contact David directly at authorartist775@gmail.com.