The Creative Chain Behind “When the Light Is Just Right”
by Maryann Gibbons
Collaboration is at the core of Artypants’ modus operandi. In this case, the identified talent, Dennis Doyle, made himself available for a seaside interview where he rolled out his wagon with such ease that it set the tone for layers of synergy that would bring the opening piece to our fourth issue from concept to print.
Let me tell you how it went down.
Nov 1, 2025: I moved into the ET Wright Building (Artypants Mag Headquarters in Rockland, MA). While visiting Artypants Mag alumna Karla Hunter, astrology sorceress, Artypants Partner, and Podcast Host, Lindsay Purcell, I spotted a painting of a woman leaning on a bicycle, quietly hiding out on the floor. ↓
Pictured: Where the story began.
Dennis mostly paints landscapes en plein air. He painted this portrait with a model and a group of other painters.
Nov 23, 2025: I stepped into Dennis Doyle’s studio as it was ET Wright’s Annual Open Studios. I was blown away by the sheer volume of impressionist-style paintings he paints mostly outdoors. He communicates with nature, and it shows.
The feelings from the paintings lingered.
December 2025: Ideas are percolating. So is the realization that it’s time to ramp up conversations with potential partners and get organized for the next print issue.
January 17 2026: Chandlyr Jackson, Amy Parker, and I dedicate 24 hours to scheming the next theme for Artypants. Amy teaches us how to make a book map, and considering a new type system to elevate the design is brought into the mix. We visit Artypants headquarters and see Lara Williams (see below) working, and Dennis happens to be in his studio.
The paintings stay with me.
Jan-March 2026: We nail down the theme, Double Life. Simultaneously, I’m thinking about how Dennis is called to create and get outside on the New England days most of us hide from. He’s painting nonstop, sometimes in parking lots, other times shoreside somewhere, capturing broken ice caps. Dennis is game for an interview.
Meanwhile, Artypants alumni and a very talented friend and photographer, Amy Reichenbach, is also open to photographing the interview while Dennis paints on location at his chosen site, Webb Memorial Park. Amy new to editorial photography, thrives with experimentation. (I took Amy’s Creative Photography class, and you will never look at cellophane the same.) Pop cellophane from a flower bouquet on your phone, then snap, and that’s the original analog version of an Instagram filter!
March 15th 2026: It’s interview and photo shoot day. It was a whipping cold scene, and much of the transcript was wind-blown, so we continued the interview by phone a couple of weeks later. During our shoot, Dennis also began the painting you see on page 20 of Issue 04 (see below).
March 28th 2026: Local business baddie McKenzie Lawton, of the Lawton Group, supports as an Ad Partner, helping offset the rising costs of print production in an increasingly digital world. McKenzie just gets it, and has supported Artypants since she stepped into the paper portal.
April 8th 2026: I bring this to the very talented and skilled group I’m a part of, Duxbury Writers Society. They proofread and offer suggestions on clarification, grammar, and overall readability, all of which contribute to stronger storytelling.
April 13, 2026: Retired English Teacher and Vice Principal, and my Father-in-Law, Bill Gibbons, made an editorial pass and light edits.
April 19th 2026: We convene at Woods Creative in Portland, Maine, where Amy Parker takes the lead in shaping the story, working alongside Brand Director Chandlyr Jackson to weave the copy and accompanying photography into a layout that complements the artistry of both Amy Reichenbach and Dennis Doyle.
working @woodscreative image below
New features, such as the combination of Halyard and Gaya typefaces, help elevate the spread alongside an evolved type system and refined layout approach.
April 20th-May 1 2026: We edit and revise back and forth, using Slack as our primary communication channel for editorial passes. The layout lives in Adobe InDesign, software I do not have experience with. For the first time, I surrender a great deal of control and place full trust in the skills, technique, and creative instincts of both Amy and Chandlyr as they work to elevate both the issue and this feature.
Reviewing page layouts in Slack with Chandlyr and Amy. Left page: artwork by Monica Hamilton. Right page: artwork by Jenny McGee Dougherty. Featured as the Inside Front Cover and Inside Back Cover for Issue 04: Double Life.
While the story heads to print, Dennis Doyle prepares Summer Pose (19×24, $950) and March Light in the Webb (15×19, $850) pictured below are set up for display as part of the Double Life Exhibition at Frame Center, where Dina Brennan carefully hung the work as part of our second annual exhibition collaboration.
Left to right: Hidden Figures (gouache on paper) by Jody Regan; Summer Pose (oil on canvas) by Dennis Doyle; OUT WITH MUM (wood and wool felt) by Nina Cherie Cahill; small together in the vast expanse (archival pigment prints mounted on painted wooden panel) by Monica Hamilton; Push (matte medium photo transfer on canvas) by Jennifer Kyle; Wall Assemblage (fired clay, cotton cord, paint/glaze, and wooden peg) by Tory Reiff; and March Light in the Webb (oil on canvas) by Dennis Doyle.
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life forever.” -Amy Poehler
To experience the complete artist feature and all of Issue 04: Double Life, order your copy or visit one of our shop partners:
Bold Magazine Shop (Portland, ME) • Elburne (Dennis, MA) • Frame Center (Hanover, MA) • Ritual Bold Magazine Shop (Portland, ME) • Elburne (Dennis, MA) • Frame Center (Hanover, MA) • Matriarch Shop (Newport, RI) • Ritual Yoga (Weymouth, MA) • SlackTide Coffee Roasters (Kingston, MA) • South Shore Art Center (Cohasset, MA)
Coming soon ⟶ Outer Isles (Hanover, MA) & Outside The Lines Art Supply (Beverly, MA)
Story development was supported by McKenzie Lawton of The Lawton Group, a utility player and optimizer whose work spans Mable of Marblehead, Frame Center, and Hale Bone Broth.
Interested in working together? Learn more at lawton-group.com or catch a vibe: @lawton_group
