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"Sayen selects images from his 24 years of living in Maine to offer a portrait of the state's landscape and residents. The full-color photographs, all of which float on the pages surrounded by white borders, depict Maine's splendor, from an Atlantic summer sunrise to hanging icicles on a 22-degrees-below-zero day. Sayen's photos emphasize color and form, which isn't surprising, given that Saÿen was a painter 'long before' he became fascinated with photography. Indeed, the shot of King Hill in South Paris, on an October day, looks just like a painting-red and orange trees dot the green knoll while the sun sets in lavender tones. Although his strength lies in capturing outdoor scenes, Sayen shares a few portraits, including one of war veteran Otto Brandes sitting in uniform and another of a little league baseball player in Locke Mills getting ready to bat. This is a lovely collection."—Publisher's Weekly
A dazzling photographic tribute to the land, people, and sheer beauty of "the other Maine".
Maine: The Home Place features ninety-six breathtaking and elegantly presented color photographs of Maine, all previously unpublished, accenting what the author/photographer refers to as "the other Maine." Taken over the course of twenty-four years, these powerful and provocative images are presented in five sections that together, will modify many readers’ perceptions of the essence of Maine, a state widely held to be defined by its picturesque, rock-ribbed coastline clinging to a murky and unknown outback. "The Land" celebrates the stunning, too-often overlooked beauties of tranquil inland Maine; "The People" highlights the unique and marvelous character of Mainers today; "Farms" poignantly exposes the nature of rural contemporary life, in which Maine faces the decline and disappearance of its farm heritage; "Sonatas, Fractals, Koans, and Elegies" closely observes Maine's striking lakes, mountains, and woodlands; and, "The Coast" features Saÿen’s fresh take on Maine's well-loved harbors and shore. Brief narratives by the photographer introduce each section, and the book closes with his short "Notes on Photography." The lyrical introduction by Roger Payne sets the stage for the photographic feast that is Maine: The Home Place.
Each memorable photograph has meaning in terms of the landscape and the people who live and work in Maine. Together they subtly convey inland and coastal Maine's ravishing beauty and dramatic geography, the Yankee innocence, durability, and enduring purity of spirit embodied by Mainers in the face of modern challenges to their forefathers' honored way of life, and the wealth of visually striking forms in which nature manifests herself in all seasons. Visitors and residents alike will cherish this emotionally charged and exquisite visual celebration of Maine, the first photographic collection to pay homage to the entire state in all its grace and glory.
It is refreshing to see such provocative photos of Maine people in a book of this quality...Maine shows new perspective on a storied land, and reaches deeper into the places and lives that make this state so mysteriously beautiful.—Maine Times
"... the book is lively, and the images, taken over a 24-year span, celebrate the physical beauty that makes Maine such a singular place."—Yankee Magazine
"An absolutely gorgeous book...[in which the] still lifes...arouse one's sense of wonder, from frost lined maple leaves to hunks of granite jutting out of reddened blueberry fields."—York County Coast Star
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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MURAD SAŸEN is a professionally trained photographer who has practiced his art since 1968. He lives in South Paris, Maine, and he has been also a world-renowned maker of "art knives," a painter, and a fiction writer.
ROGER PAYNE is the author of Among Whales and the scientist who proved that humpback whales "sing."
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