#SPACIE MARIA ART FULL#

My first day I met with my old Bangor High School creative writing and visual art teachers and a bus full of their students. Here, I was able to soak in the vibrant foliage without the crowds of MDI. I had a furnished kitchen, wifi, and running water- truly living in the lap of luxury. My second location was at the Schoodic Institute. I was able to take a garbage bag full of debris on the ferry with me back to the mainland, barely a dent in all the trash that the island held. I witnessed an expansive hot orange sunset that filled the sky and was reflected in the cove I was staying in- one that inspired вЂњRoped In.вЂќ It broke my heart to have such a stunning landscape littered with such an extreme amount trash. Isle au Haut is one of the most beautiful places IвЂ™ve ever been. When I arrived in October, I found these heaps of buoys, ropes, and plastic placed along the coastline- other visitors attempt at cleaning up when their hands became full. The community is so small that it can only afford to barge garbage off the island once a year. My cheese stayed fresh from the icy creek water- an actual dream. Because there was no refrigerator, I placed all of my perishables in a drybag and tied it on a branch next to Eli Creek. My lodging was a log cabin without running water, electricity, or service. My first location was the remote island of Isle au Haut. However, when I made my way to the ocean I found more marine debris washed up on the beach than I could handle. While hiking up rocky rose granite cliff faces and into mossy forests and bogs, I found virtually no trash- only hair bands and small food wrappers here and there.

The park consists of many interlocked yet contrasted ecosystems. This body of work consists of paintings made solely on marine debris littering the extensive coastline of Acadia. My residency spanned from peak foliage to first snow and allowed me to stay in a backcountry dry cabin on Isle au Haut, at the Schoodic Institute, and in the historic Brown Mountain Gatehouse on MDI. All paintings were created on Wabanaki Confederacy LandДЇor the fall of 2019, I spent an incredible 14 days as the Artist in Residence at Acadia National Park, in my home state of Maine.

Spacie maria art