By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
    Matthew Robbins finds inspiration in industrial landscapes. Fortunately, he lives in South Portland, home of the Sprague Energy tank farm. Robbins’ photographs of the tanks are currently on display at the front room gallery, located at 378 Cottage Road. He doesn’t consider himself a photographer, officially, but said it is a hobby that he has of recent started taking more seriously. Robbins said the tank farm is one of the man made landscapes that he finds himself drawn to.
    “I pass by the farm just about everyday going back home. I live in South Portland, just up the street and the lighting would look great at certain times and I was just fascinated by them. Not many people think they’re attractive as they are, but I did,” he said.
    Robbins began photographing the tanks in 2003 and still takes trips out to the farm when the inspiration strikes him. He said the natural light after a storm often makes for an interesting photograph.
    “After storms, when there’s a slight clearing and clouds behind them, the sun would peek through and just illuminate the tanks,” he said. “One of the photos was (taken) after a real heavy rainstorm so there’s dark clouds behind it and the sun’s hitting the tank and they seem to be glowing.”
      Robbins made his most recent trip to the farm last month after the Valentine’s Day snowstorm. After parking a quarter of a mile away, walking through three feet of snow, and setting up his camera Robbins discovered that the battery in his camera had died. He said all he could do was trudge back to his car, go home, and drink some hot chocolate. 
    Aside from braving the elements that provide the inspirational lighting, Robbins said the most challenging thing about shooting the tanks is trying to produce an interesting photo.  He said he doesn’t use any sophisticated equipment, but rather some of the photos currently on display were taken with a $12 camera from Salvation Army.  He said the shots “came out pretty good for a $12 camera.” Robbins said that producing a good photo is often a matter of shooting from the right angle. Other times, an interesting photo is all about being in the right place at the right time.
    “There was one shot-they were painting one of the tanks-and I was coming home and I saw all the painters up there and the sun was just right so I hightailed it back to the house, grabbed my stuff, turned around, and shot one of my favorite tank photos of a painter walking up the stairs,” he said. “So you just never know.”    
     Robbins said he has faced some unexpected challenges since he started shooting the tanks. On several occasions, he was been approached by police officers.
     “When I’m out on the spur that goes from the Veteran’s bridge to Route 1 in South Portland, the cops have pulled up, taken my I.D.-my information. They probably get a call from the folks inside the tank farm. Since the whole tank painting has come about, I have access to the inside and they know who I am so I can just call and say ‘I’m coming down, don’t call the cops.”
      The Paint the Tanks project is part of an initiative by the Maine Center for Creativity to among other things, stimulate the economy and the local artistic community through highly visible art projects. The organization is working in cooperation with Sprague Energy to choose a concept and an artist or artists with an open design competition. When the artist’s packet is released, the competition will be open to artists all over Maine and all over the world. Robbins said he thinks he will be hired to take the before, during, and after photographs.
      Robbins said his inside access to the farm has allowed him to see different aspects of the farm. He is able to see the pipes and the valves up close.
    “There are a couple of old rusty tanks that I love,” he said.
    Someday, he hopes to shoot from atop one of the tanks.
   The exhibit at the front room gallery allows the public to see the tanks from Robbins’ perspective. At the opening reception for the show, Robbins said representatives from Sprague Energy enjoyed seeing the tanks in an artistic light.
    “They found it hard to believe the tanks could look so good. They see them everyday and to see them in a different light, I think it surprised them a little bit. I hope a lot of people in the South Portland area get to see the show and see them in a different light,” he said. Robbins said at some point he would like to take the show to galleries in Boston and New York.
     The Paint the Tanks project will eventually change the whole appearance of the tank farm. Robbins said he likes the tanks as they are now, but he isn’t completely against the idea of painting them. He said he would be in favor of an abstract design or a form of realism. One idea he had is to paint on each tank the tanks behind it, creating the effect that you were looking through the tank. Robbins is much more decisive about what he doesn’t want to see on the sides of the tanks.
    “No sailboats, no lighthouses, no lobsters, (and) no advertisements by L.L. Bean or the like,” he said. “Its too touristy and boring.” He said the Maine Center of Creativity seems to be thinking in terms of one artist and a “uniform” look, but he hopes the project will provide opportunities for several artists.
    Whatever artistic expressions do appear on the tanks, the appeal of the images will be subjective.
    For now, Robbins is enjoying the tanks as they are. In his opinion, a photograph of an oil tank can be just as attractive as a seascape.
        “I think they’re scenic. I think they’re as good as any Maine lighthouse picture and as interesting.”