Dramatic Dawn at the Shore

Seagulls at Dawn

Every sunrise is different at the ocean but what they all have in common is that the colorful light gets reflected and multiplied by the water and wet shore.    We looked forward to the sunrises when we first moved to this location, and still we look forward to them.   December days may be short on minutes of daylight, but the sun rising between six and seven a.m. made it less difficult to be up and ready to paint the
color at dawn.

On this day, there was a layer of clouds on the horizon, but the rest of the sky was clear.   Known as the "high dawn,"  Eldridge's Marine Guild defines it as that a sunrise in which the first breaks of sunlight are above a cloud bank as opposed to breaking at the true horizon line.   Lots of dramatic bouncing light results from the high dawn.

Seagulls foraged for food in the early light and although a seagull's local color is white, the backlighting of dawn made them look dark blue with orange colored rim lighting.  The blue/orange harmony was dramatic.

Christmas Still Life with Antique Key, Mister and Holly

This year at the Duxbury Art Association Craft Showcase, I participated by both shopping (great merchandise) and painting.   My favorite booth was that of Marlene, an expert in handknits.  I could not resist her selection of adorable children's sweater sets.   She is a master at her craft!

I did settle down and concentrate on my painting demonstration.  I had been tempted to paint something from a photograph; it would have been much lighter and less bulky than bringing all the items needed for a still life set up.    My good painting conscious saved me and I assembled, packed and hauled the necessary gear.     That list included a spotlight, fabric, assorted ceramic, holly leaves, holly berries, ribbon, and antique key.  Yes, painting from life always yields a better result so it was worth a little extra effort.

I had numerous visitors, young and old, curious about the paint, the painting, and the process.    One four year old boy (actually he clarified that he was "four and three-quarters") insisted to his Dad that he didn't want to leave this spot, and wanted to watch me paint.    He suggested to me that instead of red holly berries, I should paint blueberries, since blue was his favorite color.  I obliged, of course..who could resist this adorable little guy.

It is interesting that the easel and paint draw some children like a strong magnet.   Little children are still attuned to what they really want and like - years before their natural tendencies are - perhaps -realigned. taking on the parental "ought to" slant.

Here is the 2014 Christmas Still Life antique key, purple plant mister, pine cones, holly leaves/berries and teacups with red ribbon woven through.

Merry Christmas to All!

Winter Day at the Audubon

Winter Day at Audubon - Stage One

It looked like it would be a dry day - but gray - so I set up at the Daniel Webster Wildlife Refuge in Marshfield, MA.   As I painted it got windier and cloudier and chillier so I told myself to paint more quickly!

I decided to face southwest to include the brightest part of the early winter sky.    I mixed up some cloud colors, but made them high key, ie bright.   I'm still using the Gamblin's Radiant Violet and Radiant Magenta - not alone - but mixed with my usual blues and whites.    I painted down to the treeline, and beyond in a couple of places.

Winter Day at Audubon - Stage Two

My treeline was a swirl of asphaltum (a transparent brown), burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and green. The metal roof of the barn had a bluish color, strongly influenced by the sky.   Inside the barn, the farming equipment really caught my attention.   In fact, the items inside were the reason I chose this scene.   There was an old red trailer with bales of hay, tools on the wall, and a small tractor. Ironically, when it came time to paint them, I realize that their values were too dark to distinguish.  I settled for some dark hints of what was there.

Winter Day at Audubon - Stage Three

For the grasses, I used the stubby pastry brush to scrub in the fading winter grasses (ochre, sap green, burnt sienna, a little sky blue to tone it down).   Finally, I carved in the foreground trees.   Cutting them in right over the barn that just got painted is somewhat scary, but it really works to boldly represent the scene as it is.   (The sky paint was quite thick to carve through, so the branches will be restated back in the studio.)

Winter Day at Audubon - Stage Three

I thought I was painting quickly.  I only stopped once to wrap my neck in my warmest fake fur scarf, so I was surprised to discover that over two hours had elapsed.   My body temperature did confirm it had been two hours; I was frozen!     Painting endomorphins were coursing just fine through my veins and it didn't take long to pack up.  Sadly, the canvas fell face down onto the ground!  What?!?  The grit didn't cling as well as it would have in summer.   If you examine the upper left corner of the sky, there are some flakes of dead leaves - actually, just the right spot if I was going to add them.  :)


I still have work to do on the tree branches in the studio before I post to the shop or gallery, but the last photo is where I stopped for the paint-out.

Opie

Opie

The subject of this painting is my son's beloved dog, Opie.   Opie spends his every waking moment in one of two states, either looking/waiting for my son's return, or following him around.  It seems that he never takes his eyes off of his master.   Even when he starts to doze off, any perceived movement causes him to wake and double check that his man is still there.  

Opie's devotion has certainly earned him portrait status.  This painting will be a Christmas gift for my son.   I used a photo of Opie to render the likeness and
I'm reminded by his pose that there is probably only one thing on his mind.   Where is my guy?

Powder Point Bridge at Dawn

Powder Point Bridge at Dawn

Amazing Powder Point Bridge is a local icon here on the South Shore of Massachusetts.  It is not only functionally vital for barrier island access to Saquish and the Gurnett, but it is a beautiful testament to old fashion wooden construction.   I've painted it before and I know I'll paint it again, but today's post depicts the bridge at dawn.   The angle of the painting is from the northern side of the bridge looking east across Duxbury Bay.   The Atlantic is just beyond the distant neck of land, which is Duxbury Beach.

In this painting, the sun has just burst over the horizon. The low angle of the sun is casting long bluish shadows.   The pink morning light influenced the sky, the sand, the sea grasses, and the bridge. I exaggerated the color a bit and made the lightsest areas thick and oily.   Once the grasses dried, I  made another pass using my palette knife to scumble some final peachy lights over the tips.   I was trying for a bit of shine and highlight.

The challenge with this scene was to determine how much bridge detail was too much.   There were lots of wooden pilings and cross supports - more than are depicted in my painting.    Paintings can appear tedious and overworked if they appea too realistic (in my opinion :))    I am hoping I hit the right balance and I'm still too involved to be objective.  Its time to take a rest from it.  

So here it is.  The canvas size is 12 x 24 inches, perfect for depicting the longest wooden bridge in the United States*   I would love to get feedback on anything that may not read quite right.

Oh, and if you are interested, here are links to two other posts of Powder Point paintings.

http://maureen-vezina.blogspot.com/2012/11/powder-point-bridge.html
http://maureen-vezina.blogspot.com/2013/08/back-to-powder-point-bridge.html

*2200 feet

Knockdown House and Rain

I did what I said I would not do, which is to drive around looking for a place to paint.   I'm not taking full blame for wasting this time.   I'm sharing it with the weather forecaster I watched.   She said the morning mist would give way to a bright but cloudy day.   I stayed optimistic and drove into Boston. I'm also sharing the blame with the parking situation in Boston.   I was planning on snaring the first metered spot I saw, but there was none to be had.   Meanwhile the mist became steady rain and then downpours and wind.    Twasn't meant to be!

Knockdown House on Gray Day

I did errands instead and on my way back into Marshfield, I decided to stop at the South River Park which has that new sheltered picnic area.   I had set out in the morning to paint - and like a junkie, I hadn't gotten my fix.   It was misty again so this was a nice gray setting.   The old dilapidated house that I painted the last time I was here looked worse than ever.

 According to the sign out front this old house is slated to be demolished and be replaced with new commercial real estate. I suspect the new building will not have the old graceful lines of this antique that I enjoyed on this day, and probably for the last time.

Rain on my Palette

As for color, with all the grayness of the day, I used Gamblin's Radiant Magenta and Radiant Violet with touch of my usual grays.   These made some pretty (although pale) color accents amid all the silvery woods.   These soft colorful accents aren't visible in this photograph at all!   They really are there in person, I swear!

Knockdown House

The overhang worked out well for about an hour at which point the wind and rain I had seen in Boston earlier started up.   Before I realized it, the palette was covered with raindrops.  Luckily only the back of the painting got wet.  I packed up and get out of there, thinking - hot coffee needed.

Hicks Point from Bay Road, Duxbury

Cedars on the Marsh

In South Duxbury, Massachusetts, the coastline turns inward and faces Kingston Bay.   There are several marshy areas that border Kingston Bay forming pretty inlets.     The inlet in front of me in this painting is Island Creek, and presumably it passes under the road I was on (Bay Road).     According to the map I checked, the neck of land on the left is called Hicks Point.   Wouldn't that house make a great painting location (or home for that matter)!   I had to settle for a long view of it for this painting.

The tide was rising and it was an astronomically extra-high tide.   The marsh quickly turned watery and what really caught my attention were the two huge clusters of dark cedars.   Although I loved the composition through my viewfinder, once I captured in on the canvas, it was quite ordinary. I was somewhat disappointed with the result from the actual paint out.

Hicks Point, South Duxbury, MA

I guess you could say that "ordinary" was the theme of this paint out.   No unusual stories to report; it was just a peaceful, serene session of matching marshy golds and cloudy skies.   Okay, I think what I'm saying is this post is dull, #pleinair painting is always exciting!

November Dunes and Beach Houses

Beachhouses Dunes and Fencing - Stage One

I returned to Burkes Beach in Green Harbor on a mild November day and this time instead of facing the ocean, I faced north.   The scene included dunes to my left, snow fencing, the jetty, and beach houses on the far side of the Green Harbor River.  This painting developed fast because I decided to use mostly palette knife applying lots of thick, juicy paint.   I used a small straight edge brush to paint the beach houses.  Even though the goal was to be loose, my psyche would never allow "non-plumb"architectural verticals.   So extra care was given to the squareness of houses, their little porches and shuttered windows.

Beachhouses Dunes and Fencing

Here is a quick summary on how I painted the snow fences.   First I blocked in the sand dunes with a light, but thin, warm sand color.  I let the brush strokes imply the slope of the dunes.    I then determined the color and value of the cool shadows of the fence post and slats.  I painted those shadows in next so that the shadows sat on top of the dunes.   Next I added the fence slats starting each stroke at the base of its shadow and drawing the brush up as if emerging from its shadow..    In a couple of cases I came back over some choice slats with a thick palette knife stroke.

November days like this one are every bit as pleasant as a summer to me, maybe even more so!

Isle of Doagh, Donegal

Linen Sheet

Donegal Gray

I still have such vivid and wonderful memories of our epic trip to Ireland last year.   I have sold some of the paintings I created when I returned.  These were paintings that I probably should have kept, but I would tell myself, I can paint another!

For the two paintings in this post, I revisited - via photograph - a highlight of the trip.   Our amazing adventure took us to the northernmost region of Ireland to Cuill, Isle of Dough, County Donegal. This was the location of the ancestral home of my paternal great grandparents and their children.  Sadly, the parents died within a few weeks of each other in 1899, resulting in the subsequent emigration of their children (ages 11 through 23) to America, specifically Boston, Massachusetts.

Knowing the familial connection to this land made it special, and no painting or photograph could come close to capturing the breathtaking beauty of this region.    The moist, imposing clouds sat low over us as we hiked an old farm path (Fegart Road) to the top of a hill on the Isle of Doagh.

Isle of Dough - Donegal

Whenever the sun (or at least rays of sunshine) broke through, the light was truly amazing!    It was at those moments that the distant countryside emitted the iconic emerald green that Ireland is known for.   Being on an island with water all around, the gray clouds became lavender, pink, blue and pale yellow.

My goal in these two 8x10 inch paintings was to capture those fleeting, sunlit moments.  One painting includes an old stone farm (more decrepit in person than they may appear in the painting).   The other painting depicts a simple meadow with the Irish Sea and neck of land in the distance

I hope you can see the magic that I felt while I was there; if not, you must go and see/feel it in person!

Sandbox Play

I have always found it fascinating to watch children engaged in free play.    Pail and shovel, sand and water....that's as good as it gets for a little tike, right?   (I hoping so, given the rash of babies playing with PDA's that I have observed lately.  :))  



Sandbox Play

This painting depicts three little people who were busy with sand, cups and buckets while Dad did his own digging.

Painting design was on my mind for this scene because this canvas measured 12x24 inches.    The center of interest was the group of children who were placed to the left of the center line.   As soon as they were added, the horizontal balance was off, automatically weighed to the left.   Once Dad was inserted, he not only added to the story, but he balanced the total composition.  As a background "element" however, he would have to be smaller and less defined.  Further, his placement would have to balance the group of children.    I was imagining a fulcrum between the children and the Dad that would equalize their weight as it related to the whole canvas.

I don't like that my warm transparent darks were contaminated with opaque tones....Before I post this to the shop, I'll have to fix it.   Any other comments?






Columbia Point from Day Boulevard

Columbia Point Vantage

Columbia Point from Day Boulevard

I had just over an hour before I was due to pick up my aunt for lunch.    I exited the Southeast Expressway and rounded the circle in South Boston and started down Day Boulevard.   After passing the Massachusetts State Police Station, I got ready to make a turn into one of the beach parking lots.

I was lucky to snag the first spot which had a clear view of the Kennedy Library, the fishing pier and old stone gazebo.   This spot is known as "Mothers' Rest", one of many scenic vantages along the Harborwalk.   It was a very gray day, so there was neither dramatic sunlight or defining shadows.  There was still plenty of fall color in the distant trees.

Columbia Point from Day Boulevard

There was a mixture of runners, walkers and UMass Boston students passing by and only a handful of people stopped to talk.   That was probably good because I was tight on time.

The last thing I did was to use my "scrape off" rubber tool to carve the shape of the sign through the thick sky paint.   This pulled off the thick paint and gave me the right sign location allowing me to finish it back in the studio.  I do like the freshness of this one - no doubt because of the lack of time, ie no fussing over detail and reworking. 

My First Persimmon

It was class number three (of four) with painter and teacher Eli Cedrone and I arrived a little late and unprepared.   I hadn't brought any objects for a still life painting.   (Now that I am older and wiser, I was not sweating it however -  I knew that between my painting bag and my car, I would be able to come up with some objects.)

Persimmon and Tomato Set Up

As it turned out, my classmate had extra fruits and vegetables, and she invited me to help myself in creating my still life.    Had it not been for her generousity, I would not have gotten a chance to study my first persimmon. 

What is a persimmon?   It's a golden yellow oval fruit with a flavorful, smooth texture.  It's a healthy delicacy native to China and is used in cookies, cakes, muffins, puddings, salads and as a topping in breakfast cereal.   At this writing, I still haven't tried one yet.

Persimmon and Tomato

I placed a persimmon and a tomato on my fabric (my sweatshirt) trying to have them overlap and throw shadows that would make a pleasing abstract pattern.

The warm orange and red of the fruit picked up lots of light and even cast light and color on each other.   Although I didn't see their colors reflected on the fabric, I pretended it did and spread some of the color into the neutral gray for more excitment.

I bought my own persimmon on the ride home and am waiting for it to ripen on the counter.    I'm hoping I like it...I'll let you know!

November Beach - Green Harbor

November Beach - In Progress

Sunny Beach in November

The sun was shining and the wind was blowing from the west making it a fine day to paint on our east facing beach. I've painted from this spot on Burkes's Beach on numerous occasions, but it is never the same, and it never gets old.  

It was a low angle midday sun, which actually produces more reflected sunlight than a higher angle sun, and still quite bright.  The temperatures were warm enough for both my personal comfort and oil paint viscosity.   We've already had a couple of strong ocean storms which had deposited plenty of seaweed along the multi-tiered shoreline.  Most of it was now a dark, dried-out, maroon color.   On the water, the few lobster boats that did enter the channel were stacked with traps, and I'm assuming they have been pulled out of the water for the winter.  

Sunny November Beach

Once my easel was set up, the next decision was where on the canvas the horizon line would be.  Two things convinced me that it would be toward the bottom, the first of which was the beautiful, shimmery sky of wispy high clouds.  The second factor was that the tide was coming in, covering more and more of the jetty.  I didn't want to place a lot of attention on skinny slivers of visible rocks.  So then, the sky would be the starring element, and the basic compositional decision of the landscape was made.   As for the water, the northern (left) section of the horizon was dark ultramarine blue in contrast with the (sunnier) eastern (right) section was much lighter blue, almost a cerulean hue.  

So here it is after the paint out.  The inner painter is telling me to add a lobster boat entering the channel.   Should I listen(?), is the question!

Clutching Gold

Renoir Bathers Snippet through Viewfinder

It was the second week of my workshop with Eli Cedrone.   The plan was to use the same ideas from last week's still life abstract, but apply them to a figure.     That process was to design the painting in black and white with a charcoal thumbnail, to do a line drawing that would flatten the planes, then to develop the abstract version into our desired level of realism. 

Thumbnail Design

I chose a painting of Renoir's bathers as inspiration for this one.   I used my viewfinder to frame two small portions of the (very large) painting.   I then did a thumbnail in charcoal of each to decide which one I would paint on my 9x12 canvas.    I liked both thumbnails so I decided (too ambitiously as it turns out) that I would just paint both.   The mission was to keep it loose and free, so I thought there would be time for both - ha, not true! 

As the face and hand came together I decided that this looked like a sleeping goddess.   I refined the closed eyes and adjusted the mouth to be slightly drawn down as in sleep, dreaming even.

A Jar and Grapes

Red Grapes and Jar Still Life

I was in Session One of a workshop with one of my favorite artists from the New England region, Eli Cedrone.   She had sent out a lesson plan in advance of the class which included some interesting YouTube links for reference. 


Abstracted Thumbnail

American Artist Richard Diebenkorn was influenced by the work of Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse.   He was drawn to their bold palette, the flattening of the picture plane and the minimal blending of color. He was interested in the geometry of a space – be it a still life, a field seen from above or an interior with figure. It is that convergence of lines and angles, forms distilled to their primary shapes, that connects his figurative paintings to his abstractions.

Eli challenged us to incorporate our twist on Diebenkorn's simplification and abstraction.  The mission was to render a non-representational depiction of our chosen still life set ups and to come up with a more striking and interesting composition. 



A Jar and Grapes - In Progress

As always, I love an art challenge and Eli's creative lesson plan challenged my status quo. With a 12x16 canvas staring at me, I started thinking that a few red grapes and a jar of Ikea pickled herring (my lunch) would be a weak and less-than-thrilling painting.   However, the objective of designing the painting instead of painting the subject exactly as designed, saved the day.

I decided to "split" the canvas into three zones.  Using the viewfinder I made three independent views of the grapes and jar set up.   I was trying to make a black and white abstract that had nice variation, without yet thinking about how this would become a red grape and jar still life.   (Important:  The composition makes or breaks the painting)   We next did a flat line drawing of the design.  By the time paint was applied, the three vertical zones were interleaved.   At this point, the actual set up in front of me was only for color and shadow reference, because my black and white thumbnail was my composition blueprint.



A Jar and Grapes - Loud and Loose

Here is the end product;  more loud and loose than usual.

BUY NOW

Local Cranberry Farm

A friend of mine and her husband own a beautiful cranberry farm and she invited me to visit for a paint-out.   She noted that the cranberry harvest was in progress which was music to my ears.   Bogs are harvested one at a time and although I do not profess to know the exact sequence and process, I do know that it is a gorgeous scene once the berries are jarred loose from the plant and float to the top of the flooded bog.

Local Bog - On Site in Progress

Gentle sloping hillsides led to the expansive bogs at the bottom.   Apple trees, cold frames and a rustic fenced vegetable garden dotted the winding country path to the bogs. Some of the massive trees that dotted the property had to be a century or two old.  It was as if I was in a remote rural location instead of a half mile from the busy center of our large town.    

Local Bog

I set up on a slope next to a couple of apple trees to my left, and behind me was the vegetable gardens and domed coldframes which provided a wind block.    From here I had a view of the harvest in progress with two thrasher machines skipping across the watery bog in tandem.     I had hoped for the classic and iconic crimson sea of berries being corralled, but the pre-flood,  maroon bog was stunning as well.  The foliage in the distance and the apple tree next to me provided lots of sunlit color as well.

I was imagining that this 2014 farm scene was probably not much different than it was fifty years ago or more.  It was truly like stepping back in time and a beautiful hidden treasure.

Golden Waves of Grain

Golden Waves of Grain

This painting was done as part of a demonstration for my friends at Compass on the Bay Senior Residence.  I decided to use a beautiful photo of a farm in autumn for my reference.  Each person in the audience had a copy of the photo in hand so that they could have a good look at what I was painting.

The painting session became an interactive experience with many seniors offering input into the painting process.   Seniors are refreshingly direct, and they freely offered their opinions and suggestions.   The farm scene provided a bright and colorful subject, working out well even for those with more limited vision. 

Autumn Festival at the Bogs

Autumn Festival at the Bogs - Stage One

It was Columbus Day, and for many people in Massachusetts, it meant a day off from school and/or school.  I set out to find a nice crimson cranberry bog, seeking mid-harvest action for this paint-out.   When I spotted this cranberry farm I fell right in line with the family filled cars entering the grassy field (converted to parking lot for the day).



Autumn Festival at the Bogs - Stage Two

The harvest had already been completed at this bog, but it was beautiful nonetheless.  Deep shades of maroon and purple served as the painting foreground and beyond the bog were the harvest festivities.  There were fire truck tours, hayrides and food vendors.   Cranberry bogs often have large sand piles for use in layering and patching the bogs.   During the harvest celebrations, these sand mountains are always a hit with the kids who love to climb to the top and tumble down to the bottom.   I spotted quite a few dusty looking children returning to their cars with family.



Autumn Festival at the Bogs

The day was mostly cloudy, but as always, I'm fine with that.   The filtered
light was consistent for the duration of the paint out, and it was a chance to capture some pretty clouds.

Dandelion Park

Little Blue Shed - Stage One

I remember when we first moved to Marshfield there was a plot of land at the corner of Webster Street and Ocean Street, a major intersection, that was an unsightly patch of weeds and rubble.   I'm not sure what had been there in years past, but someone had a dream to transform it.   In 2010, thanks to the Molly Fitzgerald Memorial Fund, it was transformed into a lovely little oasis dedicated with paths, greenery, and a water feature.   Molly was a remarkable fourteen year old Marshfield girl who died unexpectedly in 2006.  You will be as touched by her spirit as I was when I visited both the website link above - and Dandelion Park, the location of this painting.

Little Blue Shed - Stage Two

It was a pleasure to set up right in the middle of this serene little spot.   I could hear the water trickling from the small fountain.  The petite and perfectly-in-scale blue-gray shed stood out against the orange fall foliage.  Yes, I am always predictably attracted to a rustic shed, my center of interest.   I loved how the sun was lighting up the roof shingles and the white trim contrasted with the purplish blue shadows.  The photo is washing out the trim to a stark white although in reality, the white trim and light shingles have color when the painting is viewed in person.

 On the right, there was a butterfly bush and since we are well into October, the drying leaves looked silvery green.   I used a rainbow of pale lavender, pale pink, pale green and naples yellow for these silvery highlights.

Little Blue Shed at Dandelion Park

After completing a realistic rendition, it was time to stop looking at the scene and decide by looking - just at the painting - if changes were needed for the sake of a better painting (aka - artistic license).   I pumped up the orange foliage beyond the actual scene to counterbalance the complementary blue shed.     Are there any other changes readers could suggest for this painting?

Thank you to the Molly Fund for creating this beautiful open space!

Along Water Street in Plymouth

Water Street Shops

Gift shops opened their doors - literally - to tourists and locals on this warm, sunny September day.
Along Water Street there was a steady stream of walkers and many were interested enough to stop and chat about and/or observe the painting process.   The palette knife seems to be of particular interest.  I explained that I liked doing skies with wispy clouds with the palette knife, after which I usually switch to a brush. 



Many people stopped: a couple from Orleans who were spending the day on the "mainland."  two French speaking women with palette knife technique questions, a retired Cinncinati couple, lovely ladies Ellie and Christine, a female National Parks Ranger and a young mother who wondered, could that neck of land out there (Long Beach) possibly be Cape Cod?  A young lawyer from China even bought a painting of the Mayflower that I had done last year. 



Brewster Street Afternoon

I got two paintings done from virtually the same spot.   One painting captured the block of shops between Water Street and Winslow Street.  Racks of clothing, colorful souvenir shirts and bags hang along the windows.  The second painting is the scene looking up Brewster Street, the 1820 Courthouse and The Spire Theater at the top of the street.   For this second painting, I was looking directly into the sun, so the values are simplified to bright and dark.   The "black top" of the street actually appeared white. :)

Wine and Oysters

This painting still life features the classic table - wine, oysters and flowers.

Wine and Oysters

Preparing for the still life was a fun adventure.   I paid a visit to Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury so that I could handpick oysters that had good visual appeal.   The fellow was more than gracious, showing me which oysters had more color or variation in their shells and invited me to choose exactly the oysters I wanted.  He was knowledgeable on taste as well and since I would be eating this still life at some point, I made my selections based on both criteria!   I got a half dozen Duxbury Bay Oysters (one knot on the bag) and a half dozen Sandwich oysters (two knots on the bag).

I made the same speech at the wine store; the wine bottle would be depicted in a still life painting highlighting the delight of food.  The fellow suggested Le Grand Caillou from Southern France where an abundance of seafood would call for such a Sauvignon Blanc.  A whorl adorns the label, a not-so-subtle hint that this wine would pair well with seafood.

For the set-up I included outer shells, inner shells and lots of lemon wedges.   A speckled blue vase with yellow daisies repeated the blue and yellow scheme, and a wooden handled corkscrew on the bottom right was the painting lead in.  

One interesting aspect of this painting is that it provided a good example of adjacent item influence.  Not only do items cast shadows, but depending on the reflective characteristics of the element, they throw their color around as well.   The lemons were throwing strong yellow light on the shells as well as the cloth.  I played around with it a little bit to decide how strong or diluted to make this cast color.   The photo may not pick it up, but if you get a chance to see the painting, the reflective color is there.

South River View - Studio

South River Color Study

It was time to work on the large canvas version of the South River View.   In the previous blog post, I described the color study done "en plein air" for my color reference.  The large canvas was 24 x 36 inches which I underpainted with a warm cadmium red light, raw sienna and a sky undertone of Naples Yellow.   I knew that using these warm tones as a base would help give the painting a warm golden glow.




South River Underpainting - Stage One

The 9x12 color study came in handy back in the studio for color reference, although the key of the painting was one value darker since it was painted outside.   Photographs do not register color as well as the human eye.  I took photographs too, but mostly for composition purposes - cropping, drawing and element placement.

The elongated horizontal nature of the scene would make a nice addition to a large wall.  As for the color, this was probably the perfect time to paint the salt marsh.   The "extreme greens" of summer were being slowly replaced with hints of autumn red and gold.  



South River - Stage Two

I began by carefully sketching in my scene with dark transparent oxide brown.   A good likeness to the scene was very important so I took relative measurements - several times.   The composition had a pleasing variety of elements that helped balance the overall lights and darks.   For example the dark trees on the far shore were balanced by the darks of the foreground underbrush.
The larger canvas required mixing large piles of pigment. I began with a pthalo blue and white sky knowing that I would be building up the layers of sky prior to adding the summery clouds.   Next I mixed the distant marsh greens which were cool pale yellowish green, gradually getting warmer and greener as they got closer to the foreground.   The long rustic dock out to the tidal river was an iconic element adding angularity amid the surrounding soft marsh grasses.



South River

I took liberties with the foreground shrubbery, introducing some vivid green and red sumac, and I pumped up the grey-blue of windblown Juneberries.   And no September landscape would be complete without bright yellow goldenrod.

Finally I added the summer afternoon cloud pattern echoing the lines of the river and drawing their lights down into the river. 

This large painting was created for Catherine with happy birthday wishes from her daughter Leslie.   This spectacular view is special to Catherine and certainly it is looking its best on a sunny, pristine September day.   Happy Birthday to Catherine!