"Gulf Hagas," Joel Babb

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Joel Babb (United States, born 1947), Gulf Hagas, 2011, oil on linen, 45 x 64 1/8 inches. Anonymous gift in honor of Dr. Walter Goldfarb, 2021.18. Image courtesy of Luc Demers. © Joel Babb

Find me at range pond state park!

Realist painter Joel Babb finds inspiration in the Maine landscape. In the mid-1970’s he built a studio and residence in Sumner, Maine, which shortly thereafter became his permanent home. In the 1990s, the artist turned to brooks, ones that flow deep within the forest, for his subjects.

Gulf Hagas is a gorge located in the mountains of northern Maine woods and is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of Maine. Babb regularly visited it to study the patterns of water as well as shifts in light to inform this painting. His process consisted of making preparatory sketches en plein air and creating several digital photographs. In the final painting, the rocks, gushing brook, and trees are constructed by a sophisticated application of paint. Babb positions the viewer within the brook, offering a unique perspective on the scene. Babb captures the gushing water or sun’s warm rays breaking through the trees with a meticulous handling of paint. By doing so, Gulf Hagas compounds times of day to capture the overall spirit of the place. Babb’s painting aligns with elements of the sublime found in early American landscape painting.