Red Trolley - Boston Waterfront

Today was the mildest day yet this year hitting 80 degrees by midday in Eastern Massachusetts.   My destination was not clear when I set out at 9AM in jeans, boots and fleece with my long down jacket stuffed behind my drivers' seat.  In today's mail, I received my postcard from the South Shore Arts Center Juried Show: Not Selected.   Grrrr...how disappointing, since I have sold pretty well in this show.    I considered two of the pieces to be among the best I have ever done, loose and juicy.  My work is evidently not a fit for what the organization wants to show.  Onward and upward!

So that was my state of mind as I drove northward and before I knew it, I was getting off the exit in Boston and heading toward the waterfront.   On Atlantic Ave just beyond the Boston Harbor Hotel, I spotted not one, but two parking spots (of course I only needed one) and quickly pulled in.   One quarter gets you 12 minutes in the downtown area and the limit is two hours.   That gave me just enough time to execute a plein air painting.   

A car pulled into the other spot. An attractive business women with two smart looking (and large) bags began to search for her meter money.  I was still getting my painting gear out when I saw the woman look around, worried, presumably looking for a place to get quarters.   The harried expression on her face gave me a flashback to my old days working in the corporate world, running to meetings and not having time to think about things like feeding a meter.  



Map of Boston Waterfront Where I Painted

"Do you need quarters?" I asked.   I retrieved my stash from the car and provided her with a couple of dollars worth.    Although she had seemed quite serious, she smiled and said she liked my PLNAIR vanity plate.   I offered her my card; obviously the woman had an appreciation for the arts.   She did take a minute to tell me that she lived on the South Shore as well.  I bit my tongue as she also said she was on the Board of Directors of the South Shore Art Center in Cohassett!   Coincidence!  I'm proud to say, that I didn't blurt out: "I'm not happy with their Arts Festival jurors!"   I know it's just a matter of personal preference, but what are the chances of running into this particular person on this day.


She wished me a good day painting and
we went our separate ways.   I set up at the corner of Central and Old Atlantic at the trolley stop across from the Aquarium (see red box in map to the right).



Red Trolley Painting  In-Progress


In the city, settling on a scene and creating the composition is as much about how much to leave out as it is what to include, and it is easy to become distracted by all the visual stimuli.  

I set the boundaries of the paintings using the structural elements via the drawing - in paint - of the major buildings.  The Long Wharf Marriott is recognizable by its multi-tiered brick.   The blue awning of the Legal Seafoods Restaurant was on the sidewalk on the left and the Chart House was on the far right.   A bright red trolley was the center of interest (which was replaced with a green trolley at some point along the way.)   The pedestrians that were all over posed the biggest challenge, and gave me the most flexibility, as to who to include and where they would be placed in the painting.

So I'm posing a compositional question.   I used some black paper cutouts of some figures in various positions on my painting to decide on the placement of the figures.  Let me know what you think.   Once I add the figures, I'll post the final painting to my website.

Option A



Option B



Option C

Option D



Option E



Option F



Option G