Plymouth Clock Tower

Plymouth Clock Tower

The heat has been brutal for several days with the dew points in the high sixties and even hitting seventy one day.   We headed out for the second day in a row to paint and bake.   We figured if there was going to be a cooler spot, it would be along the water, turns out we picked Water Street in Plymouth.

Again a dream parking spot - closest to Plymouth Rock and free!   There were people strolling the waterfront and many seemed like tourists based on their accents, maps/cameras in hand and their need for directions.   Plymouth's nickname is "America's Hometown."   It was a lively spot to enjoy a paint-out while people from all over the world explored the area around us.

Plymouth Clock Tower from Water Street

Plymouth has a number of interesting buildings with a variety of steeples and rooftops.  While my painting partner tackled the complex Plymouth Rock Memorial, I set up with my back to the water looking toward the grassy embankment that leads up to the center of town and all the rooftops and steeples.   I chose to eliminate the cars at the base of the hill and start the scene just above them.  The castle looking building is actually the Salvation Army Church on Carver Street. The clock tower is atop the US Postal Service Building.   I vowed to be really loose on the large areas of sky, trees and grass, and I was.   The grass was done with a two inch brush with wide diagonal strokes that I didn't go back to - that was hard.  Trees were done with thick dark paint via palette knife.  Sky was also palette knife.   Since the size is large at 16"x20," I used a lot of paint!

I'm calling this one Plymouth Clock Tower with the notion that its gold dome and four sided clock face was the center of interest.   Competing for top billing however is the castle, especially with its warm red and gold stone façade.  I will revisit this one and decide whether to play down the color on the castle so that it is more subdued as a supporting element. 

Meanwhile, feel free to weigh in on it - as always your comments are welcome.