Windy Day at Driftway

Stage One - Matching Color

It's warming up outside and the colors all around are taking on summery hues.    The "high in the sky" sunlight is most responsible.    The wind, however was also a factor on this day when I set up at the Driftway walking paths in Scituate, MA, a local treasure along the North River.

The only downside to painting at the Driftway is the number of dogs running around and exploring.    It's not that I don't love dogs, because I do, but it's not a good situation if one becomes interested in a fully loaded paint palette (bad for him) or worse, sniffing my gear sitting on the ground (bad for me).   The vantage I decided on - down river - could be seen from the long fishing pier.    No humans or canines, seemed motivated to walk all the way to where I was, so there were no mishaps. 

Stage Two - Windy Day at Driftway

The views were gorgeous, and because of the wind, the water was dark and rushing.   That was the effect I tried to paint for the water.   I guess I could call this one, Rushing Water.  Let me know your thoughts on these titles, or otherwise.

Windy Day at Driftway

Inspiration from Historical Hassam

Marlborough Street - Childe Hassam

Every Spring, the Copley Society of Art holds an event called "Fresh Paint".   Dozens of painters head out into the streets and waterfronts of Boston to capture the scenes in the open air tradition, better known as "en plein air."

To this year's event there was an added twist.   We were invited to choose a painting from a list of forty famous Boston based paintings and use that painting as inspiration in the creation of our new piece.    I selected painter Childe Hassam's Impressionist painting of Marlborough Street shown here.

Inspired by Hassam Marlborough Street

My version, inspired by Hassam's city-scape, a corner in Boston's Back Bay, is missing the horse and buggies and the long dresses.    The red rooftops, long shadows and stoop-front roses remain very similar.

Surfing Ocean Bluff

Surfing Ocean Bluff - Final

It was a beautiful windy day and the surf was way up along the shore in Marshfield, MA.   Yes, the sun was out!   I was amazed at the number of surfers who were fearlessly braving the waves as well as ocean temperatures in the low forties!     These athletes came and went as I painted, all smiling and exuberant with the "perfect conditions." 

I took many pictures along the way both of my painting and the surfing action.  Here is a painting progression.

Surfing Ocean Bluff - Stage One

Surfing Ocean Bluff - Stage Two

Surfing Ocean Bluff - StageThree

Surfing Ocean Bluff - Stage Four

White Sun Hats

Sunhats

I always loved this photo of my fellow painters in our "Figures in the Landscape" painting class.    It was June and everyone was "top-lit," most especially their hats, all of which looked bright white.    Everyone seemed totally consumed by their creative works-in-progress.    You might think with this many people in close proximity that there would be plenty of conversation, but typically the opposite was true.   Maybe with the (creative) right side of their brain hard at work, the left (verbal controlling) side was on "mute."

The under-painting for this piece was roughed in with five values, all monochromatic shades of pinkish-brown.  The subdued palette for the initial sketch in paint was pretty and I should have taken a picture to show you.  I forgot - and launched straight into colorizing it.    I intentionally kept the colors on the softer side though.  I'm sensing a color trend starting with this more subdued palette - again.