Sagamore Bridge

Precarious Position

It's This Big

I needed to make another trip to the Cape today so I stopped at the Scusset Beach side of the canal and pulled into the parking lot at the base of the Sagamore Bridge.   Three weeks ago we had discovered a spot further down the canal and we painted the waterway with the bridge in the distance.   Today's location was practically under the bridge and what a sight it was.      I really got a feel for how huge the bridge was when I spotted workers up underneath it on the other side.  See the photos to the left.   There does not exist enough money to pay me to do that job!




Sagamore Bridge - Stage 1

As for the painting, I had brought a previously painted 14 x 18 inch canvas and composed it with the bridge arch shooting out the top of the canvas and the road exiting right.   The sky was bright with thick, colorful clouds.   The water in the canal was a bit puzzling; it was not a true reflection color of the sky, but instead was a chromium green type color.      The winter tree line on the other side of the canal was a muted grayish rust color.   The thatched roof and windmill of the Christmas Tree Shop was a recognizable silhouette that I wanted to include.






Sagamore Bridge - Stage 2

 The foreground was so non-descript that I worried at first that it was quite ugly.    As the painting developed, I realized that the dull foreground would provide relief from the detail of the various mid-range elements.  I kept the foregroung subdued and void of any attention grabbing features.




Sagamore Bridge Late March

I find design elements with interesting detail - like bridges - somewhat difficult.  My tendency is to want to produce an accurate depiction of all the detail - in this case - the intricate supporting rails and beams.   Artistically, I knew that not only was it not necessary, but it would probably detract.

Stage 2 is far from an accurate depiction of all the steel beams.   Hopefully, I've included enough  to allow the viewer to get the gist of the structure, without overwhelming it.

When the painting was nearly complete, I realized that the color harmony was somewhat disjointed, ranging from red brown in the distant trees and foreground grasses, to blues in the fence shadows.   I decided that I would play
up the yellow/purple harmony, which was the dominant scheme in the bridge and grasses.