Red Sky Over Wychmere

A quick pen and ink sketch and then a line wash with watercolor was done on hot press paper. I have been painting en plein air and expected to meet with my group today but it was called off. I just sat back and drew the scene from memory. I had some hot press paper that I used to be very fond of, but no longer prefer, however, it is the correct thing for line wash painting. Not a wonderful painting but it eased my guilt of settling back after our plein air event was cancelled.

Great show going on at the Creative Arts Center in Chatham. I was accepted into the all cape show and am proud to be with some very talented artists.

Wychmere Harbor, Harwich Port, MA

This is Wychmere yesterday with the warm sunny clear skies of fall. What a beautiful day to paint. I have struggled lately with my painting. I am usually good dealing with the tyranny of detail but seem to want everything in my picture when doing this scene. I have done it from memory and it is better done en plein air. The harbor is quite full of boats. I did a loose sketch and then went on to block out the sky. The water was last and I tried to do a gradual wash from bottom to lighter on the top. This is to bring the viewer's eye to the structures above. The entire scene is iconic around Harwich Port.

Rocks on the Herring River

Today our plan was to paint rocks. The day was sunny and a bit windy. The rocks are done with a base color, in this case raw sienna, and then, glazed with a darker color, burnt sienna and cobalt blue. The tops are scraped off while still wet and the shapes are developed. It is important to vary the sizes and create sharp planes. You do not want them to look like potatoes.
The area was active with lots of little kids fishing for crabs and everyone getting their last sail. What a beautiful weekend this has been. We finished at high tide, about 2.5hr after starting.

Painting at the Cove

Conditions could not be better for painting. Everything popped with the bright sun and clear air, and things dried quickly. We picked out a few of the boats to paint and fortunately they stayed around. It seemed that every boat owner was taking their boat out for a last sail as it was labor day weekend.
The Cove is in Harwich just off Rt 28. The featured boat is a Cape Cod Cat Boat which is very popular around Cape Cod. It is gaff rigged and comfortable for leisurely sailing. It comes in various sizes.

Painting with Inger

Off to Red River Beach once again. Took my friend Inger and we painted the opening to the river. Just a quick sketch and painting. Put the little house in the background for size reference. What a lovely day and the water is still warm. The beach was starting to populate but definitely not to summer time levels. Came home to steamers, lobster salad and hot dogs. Ready for a little afternoon snooze.

The Shaky Bridge at Red River Beach

Out painting with my group this morning at Red River Beach. In the back of the beach is this salt marsh and a shaky rickety bridge that spans the water which can be high when the tide comes in. I actually witnessed 3 people crossing the bridge with kayaks. It holds together but, I am told that it requires rebuilding each summer. Reminds me of one of those bridges in Viet Nam over a rice patty. It was fun to paint from above, away from the bugs, although the sun did not stay out for good shadows.