Morning Impression, Duluth by Joe Paquet

The industrial landscape and its uncommon beauty has always been a great interest of mine. I’ve been drawn to this particular expanse over the years with its gnarly mills and hardscrabble lifestyle along the South Shore of Lake Superior. Everything about it has a raw edge. This large field painting was painted over a couple of early mornings in November before the big snows hit the North Country. Ice was just beginning to form. The heavy atmosphere and soft tonality reminded me of a quote from Whistler, “Paint should not be applied thick. It should be like a breath on a pane of glass”. In this instance it was the perfect approach to try and capture the delicate mood and soft veils of color that became the perfect foil to the grittiness of the scene.