Unloading Lobster Traps

Unloading Lobster Traps - Stage One

On this sunny November day there was a midday high tide at the Marshfield, MA town pier. Apparently this was a good time to unload lobster traps from boats to trucks and trailers because there were several fishermen doing the same thing.  And it made sense.  The boats were high enough alongside the docks to toss traps over easily, rather than hoisting them up by hand or crane from a low tide boat.  




Lady Jane and Dock Disappeared

I set up facing a lobster boat named "Lady Jane" that was docked north of where I was standing.   In deciding on the composition, I placed the boat to the left with the two big squares of darkness (under dock) to the middle and right.   A red pick-up truck was up on the dock and, compositionally, did its job balancing the boat.  Most of the first pass of painting was done with the palette knife (i.e., sky, water and pilings).  The boat and truck were done mostly with a pointed watercolor brush.



Easel and Lobster Boat Coexisting

There was a lot going on and the changes happened quickly!   The silver railings of the floating dock visible in the first picture above soon disappeared, as the Harbormaster arrived in his skiff, untied the forty foot dock and towed it away to winter dry dock (a good change to my painting scene).  A few minutes later the "Lady Jane" suddenly disappeared and a long pickup truck parked up on the dock blocking my red truck (not-so-convenient changes).




Unloading Lobster Traps

The biggest impact came when the lobstering crew in the last photo pulled up right next to me.   They said that my easel was fine where it was, but that my car was in the way.    I decided that the painting was far enough along to pack it in - or risk getting splashed with the flying traps!