Boston Long Wharf View

Walking Boston Long Wharf

It was Fresh Paint Day in Boston!   With Boston Harbor behind me, I set up on the far end of Long Wharf and looked straight up State Street positioning the Old State House in the far distance.  The Boston Harbor Islands ferry docked here and I was able to hear the tour guide's script several times.   "Boston is built on 75% man made land..." - one factoid that stuck with me.  It was a great day all around, though not an easy painting experience.  Most of my energy was spend trying to "de-complicate" the scene. 
There was a mix of old and new buildings but I concentrated on blunt shapes.   It is hard to stay out of the details, but with limited time, there is no choice.    I used a board with a grey undertone.   Once the sky was carved in, the furthest buildings seemed done given the nice grey that conveyed distance.   The figures came and went, so the walkers here were done as an assimilation of the features of several people over the course of two hours.

As the in-progress photo shows, I had pre-framed the canvas and used painters' blue tape to mask the edges.   Once I finished, I peeled off and headed back to CoSo to the artists' party and drop off.    This is a nice auction for anyone who would like a painting of a Boston scene.  Forty painters participated and you could get a great deal!

Bids taken now through May 3, 2018 at the Copley Society of Art.