All Small Boats

I painted this on location. It was a beautiful morning on the town dock. Lots of activity but I chose to put only the closest house with 3 of its many boats in my composition. Nature needs rearrangements. Someone asked if I would accept a commission to paint their house. I told them that they may not recognize it when I am finished. When I am in the zone painting, a lot of things can change, even from my preliminary sketch.

The Fish Shack

This fish shack has been a favorite place for me to paint. The structure tilts and is now missing some of its dockage. In this painting I composed a medium range view or belly button shot of the action. The value range puts a three dimensional world on a two dimensional surface. This is more difficult with this view than with a landscape or distant view. It allows for more ornamentation and detail but not the personal touch of the close up view.

Wychmere Harbor from the Inside

I have painted this harbor many times but always from the highway. This view is from the lookout at Snow Inn Rd toward the highway. It is an interesting perspective looking down on something. Your horizon line rises above the midline and leaves a lot of water to cover. There are still many boats in the harbor but I chose only a few and because it was mean low-tide put the red sail boat practically on the beach. There were lots of clouds on an overcast day.
I will do more from this perspective. It appears to me that looking up at something or looking down gives a more dynamic composition.

Getting Ready

There is a nip in the air. A couple of hurricanes have been watched. Boats are being pulled out early this fall. No leaves have turned yet, but there is never alot of color on Cape Cod. This painting is from a photo of a house that I had with the shadows through the screened porch. It was early morning so the cast shadows are long. I made up the rest of the scene hoping to get a focal point for the boat. I'm not sure it worked with all of the brightness from the whites. It is always an issue in painting here on the Cape, because so many structures are white.

Summer on Cape Cod

There are many wonderful distractions while trying to paint on Cape Cod. Many long lost friends drop by along with many guests that keep the cottage buzzing. One invited me clamming and from that moment on, my refrigerator was always full of little necks and cherry stones. (That's me, clamming.) I prepared lots of clam chowder, linguini clam sauce and plenty of raw clams. I tried fritters and stuffies, ie, clams casino and Rockefeller. We had plenty of beer, wine and other stuff to go with provocative conversations. Our greatest conflicts were what to prepare for meals, what wine to match and what book to read next. I think it is all very healthy.

The painting resulted from a quick sketch of the corn stand up the road from the beach. The fresh corn starts arriving at the end of July. It is delicious. I have trouble telling my California friends that it costs $0.69 per ear. What do you expect at the beach? My friends, Dan and Diane fly in carrying 40 lb of fresh garden tomatoes and my wife has basal in the garden. Great sustenance for the summer.

Lakefront Cottage

Been away on the east coast all summer. Did a lot of painting but not as much as in past years. Had fun with house guests and cooking for big groups. Our usual painting group is not interested in plein air painting; they come out and take photos and leave. The weekly shows in the park were well attended but few paintings sold.
In this painting I was inspired by Frank Webb after reading his book. I thought primarily about design. After starting it, I put it away for awhile and then finished it weeks later. It is totally out of my head.