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Isnt that 44 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine fromToprichardEsTEscourTEsymarlboroughgallEryNEwyorkphoTobydaNiElkaNy almost incongruently distinct from each other. I expect a discussion about place that will encompass his Maine paintings but Estes turns our talk to a subject about which he is both passionate and deeply knowledgeable architecture. I guess deep down I am a frustrated ar- chitect he says. I was accepted to study with Mies van der Rohe but I returned from a trip abroad too late in the semester to at- tend IIT. But I wasnt too late for The School of the Art Institute of Chicago so I enrolled in art school 1952 to 1956. I trained to be a graphic artist and after art school I worked as a commercial illustrator for ad agencies and magazines. E stes has two studios in his home. One is an airy and open rectangu- lar space which Estes astutely in- dicates was a later addition bathed in the light of north-facing windows that reach from the floor to the soaring ceiling. Above the mantel hangs a large square painting of the Brooklyn Bridge Estes made specifical- ly for that space that pipe with the hard shadow in the front center he explains was the toughest challenge of the paint- ing and he is quick to note the historic bridges many connections with Maine. The only studio accoutrement in the comfort- able room however is a freestanding ea- sel on which sits an unfinished painting of Columbus Circle viewed from a subway en- trance. Lined up on the floor are four small horizontal landscapes. Are you still working on that painting of Columbus Circle Yes. In fact I am still working on all of these. He points at the four smaller paintings. They are for an upcoming show I have at Marlborough Gallery in Manhattan. Two of them are Africa but one is hereAcadia. I thought there might be more reference materi- als aroundphotos and drawingsbut I dont see any and your studios dont seem to be set up for that. After a certain point all of my decisions are based on what happens in the paintings. Even from the start getting the values right is important for me and thats why I often do under-painting in acrylic before finish- ing with oil. I can work out the values and make changes far more quickly because the acrylic dries in minutes. I dont use source materials for the details. When I make deci- sions about whether a piece is done I dont compare it to anything. It just has to feel right to me. Do you approach your Maine paintings differently than your New York scenes No. I make them the same way. What about the multiple perspective systems of New York Your city paintings typically have two or three vanishing points. Thats the way the city is. This is why I par- ticularly like to paint Broadway. It cuts across the grid of streets and avenues. That is why the Flatiron building appears so often in my paintings. It was defined by these di- agonals and multiple perspectives. So there are just different kinds of paths and reflec- tions in your Maine paintings Yes. He points to an easel supporting a highly finishedbut incompletepainting of hills reflected in a Maine lake. I want more definition here indicating a sunlit passage of the far hills on the left side of the image but I might keep this piece re- ally loose. Im not sure. So you wait until you know what your next step is Right. My big paintings can take a couple of months. Patience is a big part of my work. Are there things you paint that rely more on what you have seen in other paintings than photos or direct observation Water feels forced if you try to get it exact- ly like a photo. So I do it freehand. Its all in the gesture. Sometimes when I paint leaves for example I tie a few small brushes togeth- er. If you try to paint every leaf it feels tense or fussy. Is mark-making more important for you than accuracy The gesture and the brushwork have to suc- ceed for one of my paintings to be finished. My works are not finished until I think its a good painting. Some sit for months and some never make it out of my studio. As I leave I thank my gracious host for taking time out of his schedule to talk with me on a summer Sunday. He laughs at this. Well I wouldnt be in the studio today. Never on a Sunday. I refuse to be a Sun- day painter. n Estes tirelessly scrutinizes quotidien New York City moments as in this tkts. Line 38 x 61 Richard Estes relaxes in his studio in Northeast Harbor on a recent Sunday.