Morning Fog Over Nantucket

. This was a challenge to try to keep a band of low fog and also show sun on buildings not in the fog. We see lots of low fog here on Cape Cod. I did a painting of Nantucket Harbor years ago and simply washed out a section with a strong spray bottle. This painting is more abstract or whimsical, whereas I was more real with that one.

Solitude

. A friend just returned from Aruba. His wife took a photo of him on this very sandy beach just gazing out to sea. The clouds did look somewhat stormy. I painted from the photo adding a lot of light along with editing the original lineup of chairs. By putting the subject in the white chair and showing his head and arm backlit, I found a focal point. I also made the cast shadows from palm trees point to the focal area. I love the softness of the clouds and think that this is only possible with watercolor.

I did this painting earlier in August but I am fascinated with the color complements I didn't do it justice with the range of color in the first attempt so i did it over today. I love the yellow against the blue and also against the violet. It is a simple composition but very effective. I also did more detail in the foreground.

The Last Days of Summer

Lots of painting and lots of guests. That has been my summer at Cape Cod. I have not posted all of the work. Some of it unfinished but this will serve as a bookend. I bought some new brushes, mops with good points and in 3 different sizes. They will be all I need for plein air work. I learned patience in watercolor and for me that is a big change. I like to paint quickly and do a couple of paintings when out. There is much to like about slow going with repeating washes. I did this painting of 3 boats plein air and used my new brushes. It is difficult to leave Cape Cod. Had some wonderful times. My grandchildren and children visited. We shared some tasty meals with all the fresh fish available here. I never slept so well. See you next summer.

Ready to Sail

It was the day after a big 4th of July celebration and we came out to Wychmere Harbor to paint. I did several sketches and found these two getting the sails ready. They came by and I asked if they were going out once the sails were ready. "Naw, not until afternoon." I finished sketching and set up the easel to start painting. When I was ready the sailboat was gone. I did have the sketches, so went ahead with painting. It was such a beautiful day.

Riverside View

It hot here on cape Cod. The wind is really gusting and I keep watching my umbrella, as I expect it to go any minute. There are usually two cat boats moored here on the river but today, surprise...both are gone. I am always envious of the home owners on the riverside who can watch all of the activities. Water views have a real calming effect on me. I can even battle the wind gusts. There are squeals of excitement from the little ones jumping into the water. They keep asking their father to score their dive. I've been there.

The Suisun City Marina

The day was everything an artist could ask for. Great sun and warm with only a small breeze blowing. I was in Suisun City, The marina is very tidy and those are the city office buildings across the way. We all found different places to paint. I was visited by all of the walkers along the marina and that included a group of kids from Ecuador. They had just arrived a week ago to spend the summer working at 6 Flags. They had lots of questions and we chatted for a long time about what to see and do in Northern CA. I was not happy with my work today. I really wanted to underpaint my background and then come back to it. As it turned out it was too strong a value. My boats need lost edges. I felt like I was a beginner with my watercolor work. Some days no matter what, the painting does not come together the way I want it.

Beach Access

If you do not have a place on the beach, this is one way to get there. Lots of golf carts down here in Sayulita Mexico and they can drive down and park. I painted this in early afternoon. It was hot but I started in the shade. It did not last long and got very warm in the sun. This body was not built for sun and sand but it loves to be warm. I love the colors in Mexico. They are bright and warm hues. It is not unusual to see atomic pinks with yellow greens or deep violet on the outside of the house. The commercial places often have names of beers, etc. painted directly on the outside wall. It is so nice to be different.

Retired Watertower

Water towers are all over the coast of California. They were important early on to catch rainwater as well as for water storage. Some have been turned into extra rooms. They also become sheds with add-ons. I have painted many of them and, recently, used their simple shape for a lesson in my art class. The goal was to minimize brush strokes in a wet into wet format. We also wanted to leave lost edges in the painting. This was my demonstration done in the class.

River Launch

I have painted this several times, even using it for a demonstration in my senior watercolor class.  I just saw it today and decided to do it again with more contrast.  The effect is to bring out the people around the boat.  The darkest darks and the lightest lights bring this into direct view.

Kayak

A kayak moving down the river in the spring is a cool refreshing picture.  This was painted on a 16X20 stretched canvas using acrylics.  As I become more experienced with acrylic painting there is a luminosity I can see.  It is rare to get this much punch with watercolor.

I did have a disaster with plein air painting of a farm scene.  It was very warm day with a strong breeze.  My acrylics quickly dried despite spraying with water and using a wet palate.  I am not giving up on them quite yet, and will try using a retardant when doing plein air since it gets so warm around here.

Windblown Cypress

Constant wind off the ocean creates beautiful changes in cypress trees.  These hardy trees stand up to the force but the canopy takes the hit.  Here, I painted a cluster of cypress trees on the hill.  The wind effect is evident.  A familiar scene for travelers going along the Pacific coast.  The light source is from the right.  The sailboats are there to create some informal balance to the composition. 

Above Tomales Bay

Driving along Tomales Bay in Inverness, CA I had a bird's eye view.  Down below the tide was out and the ship wrecked Tomales Bay vessel is aground.  A home with a long, long walk is high on stilts.  The brown hills lacking vegetation that characterize Point Reyes frame it all in.  I stopped, sketched and painted the scene to the somber sounds of a bag piper standing on the shore.  It was a great day to be a plein air painter.

Putting the Boat into the Water

A springtime ritual is putting the boat into the water.  This is an overall warm painting and the focal point of boat and figures is framed by the dark wooden fence structure.  This creates the darkest dark/lightest light focus.  It is a vertical format to give the relative size to the figures. 

Vanishing Crew

While sketching along San Francisco Bay I was fascinated by a crew working on a pile driver.  The engine was cranking away, making a racket.  I did several sketches and, then decided to get out the paints.  My paints were back in my parked car.  When I returned, the entire rig with crane was headed out to sea with a motor boat pushing from behind.  I wound bet that it hadn't moved for over a year and, just when I wanted to paint, it was gone. 

I ran across my sketches the other day and tried another time to paint it. The tall crane and reflection lends itself nicely to a vertical format.

Quiet on the San Juan Islands

Simple subjects always make the best compositions.  Some hills, houses and a boat lead to a peaceful scene.  You can see the value changes from back to front which create depth and a third dimension.  I started this painting by wetting my paper and putting in the sky.  Usually, I turn my paper upside down and progress from yellow to red to blue.  I then tilt my paper (which is on a board) to allow some running of the color across the paper.  This is what I like about watercolor media.  The colors run, and their transparency creates new colors. 

Sailboat Racing in the Northwest

I loved playing with fog and mountain ranges.  The water reflections are easy to pull out if you do them when the paper is wet.  Getting soft edges is a matter of timing in a watercolor.  I put the sky in with a graded wash and then, while still wet, tilt my board up and run water down.  I keep adding water to wash out the sky color and put in some bumps to soften the fast line created by the water.  I then return to painting the mountain in the foreground and stretching the trees up into the cleared fog area.  The fog then falls behind and gives the composition some depth.  I let the painting dictate when it is ready for the next phase. 

Seasonal Repairs

I pass this old boat in front of the marina on my trips to Sausalito.  It probably will not last too much longer as boards have sprung and there is plenty of rot.  In the past I painted it on site but this time I stopped and took photos.  It sits on a bed of ice plant, propped up on a skid and cinder blocks.

What I want to happen, is for a repair crew to come and resuscitate this grand model of fishing craft.  As I think back on the scenes that attract me to painting, I keep finding old retired equipment, dilapidated houses, broken fences, etc.  Is this a result of my aging?

Big Storm Brewing

Painting of San Juan Island with a storm on the horizon.  This was a class exercise to paint a picture with a sky anything but blue.  Wouldn't want to be out in one of those sailboats. 

An Almost Feral Getaway

I have played with this scene several times over the past year.  A very similar composition was accepted in the 44th Annual Watercolor West Juried Exhibition.  I like the simplicity of the painting. Originally, it was  done plein air on a river in West Harwich on Cape Cod.  This time, I chose only a single structure, creating a sense of loneliness in the wild.  The structure is the focal point.  One eye path is the river with a pointer (the stake) that appears on a point of land directing you to the hideaway. There is also a graded wash on the river which goes from foreground to the structure. Finally, there is a white track leading to the white house.

Most of my painting is done plein air.  Occasionally, I will work in my studio with a painting that I particularly like, and make some changes.  It is easier to do, when you have been looking at the original for awhile.