Hydrangeas and White Aster

Hydrangeas and White Aster

I love having fresh flowers in the house.  They can be wild blooms (a.k.a. weeds), flowers and roses from my garden, or a professional bouquet.    The arrangement in this painting was sent to me by a very special lady who wanted to come to my Studio Sale, but could not make it.    She sent me this beautiful arrangement to wish me luck on this undertaking.  It was the ultimate in not necessary, but I did get maximum enjoyment from them.  Thank you!

I loved the unusual color combination of blue hydrangeas, white asters and lime green mums.  It even had a couple of pieces of driftwood as accents.   I immediately began plotting when I was going to have time to capture the blooms in paint, given the amount of time needed for the sale and post sale activities!

Bright September Beach

Bright September Beach - In Progress

Hurricane Maria hardly influenced our weather here in New England, bringing only some tropical fog bands.  It took a right turn and headed out into the Mid Atlantic when it was just 400 miles south of Cape Cod. 

Bright September Beach - After Paint Out

The storm did pump up the surf this week though, resulting in big, long, rolling, four-foot waves.  The rhythmic crashing of waves were mesmerizing and the fresh ocean scent of salty moisture was heavenly.  It was a perfectly sunny September beach day and the perfection of the scene had the pull of a giant human magnet; I had no choice but to give in - gather up the gear and set up for a quick paint session.

These warm autumn days are glorious and knowing that the weather will not last, I ventured out to the beach access and let the sun and water reflection wash over me. That wasn't all that washed over me.   The salty moisture in the air coated my hair, skin and clothing... and come to think of it, probably my painting and palette.  I read somewhere that the air at the beach is super charged with negative ions from the pounding of the waves and the propelling of moisture into the air.   I never get sick of this view, or of painting it.   I hope my blog readers do not get sick of seeing it.  Every one of them is different - really!

Cut River View from Pearl Street

Cut River View from Pearl Street

I met my neighbor around the corner at the recent art sale and she extended a kind invitation to paint from her property anytime.    Well I didn't wait very long and on this warm September morning I packed up my gear on wheels and strolled over.    The property is barely visible from the main road, but once I got to the end of the street, I saw the view my neighbor gets to enjoy every day.    It is a vast expanse of salt marsh with the Cut River winding through it.    I set up facing north-northeast and in doing so, I could position the dark patch of cedars to the right (my house is directly behind them, by the way ;)), and I could include the extensive span of marsh that stretches to the Beach St Bridge on the far side.  This time of year the marsh grasses become almost irridescent, the breeze making waves of green to gold to yellow.    I worked mostly with the palette knife for fast and thick coverage.  I still would like to better define the houses on the far side, pump up the gold and refine that overlapping grasses in the foreground.

Harbor Park Along Green Harbor River

Harbor Park - Stage One

Harbor Park is a new open space near the town pier in Marshfield, MA.  It boasts a beautiful 300 degree vista of marsh, river, marinas and docks. The picnic tables have a nice, solid overhead shelter, which came in handy the last hot day I painted there. On this day I wanted to capture the Dribeck Road bridge that passes over the marsh.   This time instead of painting from Harbor Park, I set up in the town pier parking lot and faced north so that I could paint Harbor Park itself along with the bridge.

Harbor Park - Stage Two

There was quite a bit of activity by maintenance crews, cleaning and mowing, and I later discovered from a Harbormaster staff member that these were preparations for the local television station, Fox 25's "Zip Trip."     The marsh grasses were just beginning to turn gold and even though it was a mostly cloudy day, this spot was simply gorgeous.    No wonder it was to be showcased on television.

Harbor Park from Pier

My tip to the television crew would be to not set up where I was, as toward the end of my paint out, the wind shifted to the west, thereby enveloping me in the odor of the "tuna head" barrel.    I was almost done at that point and here is the progress so far. I plan to tone down the blue on the bridge before it gets framed.

Duxbury Beach Day for 100th Anniversary DAA

Duxbury Beach Day

The Duxbury Art Association is celebrating their 100th birthday this year.  The organization has a number of commemorative activities in motion, one of which is a travelling exhibit of donated 10x10" works of art.   The painting in this post is my donation to the event, so it may appear in a local venue sometime soon.     The scene is a long view of Duxbury Beach Reservation from the end of the beachhouses.   On this day there were dozens of people along the shoreline, their colorful beach attire and umbrellas illuminated in the bright July sunshine.