Happy Days

Of the many lobster boats that chug in and out to sea via the Green Harbor River, the one that is always most recognizable to me is "Happy Days".   I always loved the dazzling reflections from the afternoon sun on the shiny, bright, crimson bow.   Usually a trail of seabirds can be seen escorting the vessel as it entered the channel.   I'm thinking these seagulls on the shore have heard the racket and are on their way to join the party too!

Happy Days

Dinghies at Town Pier

Dinghies at Town Pier - Phase One

It was a picture-perfect, glorious, early June day at the Town Pier, Brant Rock, Marshfield, MA.  Plein air painting was the goal, which is always plenty of enjoyment, but it was not my only entertainment at the busy dock.   As I was setting up, to my left there was a lobster fisherman loading traps onto his boat.   He was sliding the traps off of his truck trailer, to the retaining wall and onto the boat, which was nearly the same height because of the high tide.     He certainly demonstrated a great way to take advantage of the tide. 

Dinghies at Town Pier - Phase Two

To my right was a Mom who pulled in with her two girls.   The girls wore wet suits and life jackets and without hesitation, jumped into the water which was probably fifty degrees, and swam with glee for an hour.   (They paid me a visit after their swim.)  Right in front of me were two men fishing.   No bites - I don't think, but a fitting addition to the scene.

As for the painting, I framed out the composition with the pier itself, the Green Harbor houses across the water and in the foreground, the dock where several dinghies were tied up.   The blue dinghie sitting on the dock was to be the center of intere

Dinghies at Town Pier - Final

st of the painting, but it got demoted to second place once the white haired guy in the vintage wooden dinghie rowed right toward me.  

Mid-June Morning in Green Harbor (aka Summer Serenity)

Summer Serenity - Green Harbor

Dawn occurs when the sun breaks the horizon; everyone knows this.   What dawned on me a couple of years after moving to Green Harbor was that the location of daybreak is vastly different between early summer and six months later - early winter.    In June, it seems like the sun is practically rising in the north and similarly in winter, the sun breaks the horizon line far to the south over Duxbury Beach.  This painting depicts a mid-June morning in which the sun has been up for a couple of hours, yet still hovers due east from our beach.   The colors in the clouds and water are tinged with spectacular pinks, turquoise and lavender, and the darker water to the right and left is a grey-blue.   The sun is poking through clouds and rays of light cast extra sparkles and glare,  but yet is not quite high enough to fully illuminate the boulders and sandy shore.  

I've heard it said that the French Riviera has similar light to Green Harbor.   And let's face it, if they said it, it must be true!

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Green Harbor in Oil Paint

"Green Harbor in Oil Paint" is a collection of twenty oil paintings created in my seaside hometown on the South Shore of Massachusetts.   The book measures 8.5 inches by 11 inches and has a pretty blue and white cover.   It would make a nice gift for the art lover you know, a good looking coffee-table book, or an addition to your beach-themed room.   This book is the first in a series of planned books, so if you start collecting now, you can look forward to seeing at least three more volumes in the future.

If you have been following me for a while, you may be able to guess the locales of the next featured books....stay tuned.....

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 Painting Images in "Green Harbor in Oil Paint"

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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.

Celebrating July 4th on July 3rd

Sparklers

Each year as we celebrate our great nation's birthday, Green Harbor really comes alive.   Summer holiday revelers pour into Marshfield, MA, especially the areas where land meets ocean.    It is a local tradition to have the fireworks extravaganza on July 3rd rather than July 4, a nice warm up for the Fourth. Words simply cannot describe this spectacle, nor can a simple 6x6 inch painting.   This annual party has to be experienced live and in person to digest the full, old-fashion experience.   This painting is merely a sliver of the scene, but one that I liked because of the greenish white glow of the handheld sparklers.   The figures are in a semi circle mezmerized by their sparklers.  Others are sitting on the seawall watching the non-stop fireworks.

Green Harbor Yacht Club

Green Harbor Yacht Club - Stage One

Green Harbor Yacht Club - Stage Two

This modest building is home to the Green Harbor Yacht Club.   It started out as a gray day, which is fine for paintings with architectural elements.   While working on the building rendering, the lines and angles of the roof lines and windows are more easily captured.   Once the sun broke out, I was ready to apply the sunny lights with my palette knife.

Jumping Off the Beach St Bridge

High Tide Beach Street Bridge

One of the most popular activities of summer in Green Harbor involves an old concrete bridge, a high tide and enough gumption to submit to a cold, salty, and swift current.     I have no idea what age is typically "old enough" to take the plunge at the Beach St Bridge.   I do know that I've seen smallish tykes standing there, as if frozen, deciding if this is the day they will have come of age.  I have seen adults similarly frozen, standing on the conduit pipe deciding if this item on their bucket list is worth it!

In the painting, the span of water is wide is because the scene is literally at sea level - from a kayak.   No I'm not painting from within the kayak but from a photo I took.   This vantage has a view all the way through to the Cut River and marsh on the inlet side.   The dark bobbing heads are shaded by the bridge.  Often there will be a Mom or Dad standing off to the side taking a photo of the moment of truth, when perhaps they are probably there to supervise.  At least that would have been my story to my kids.

Paddleboarders

Paddleboarders

Paddleboarding is quickly becoming one of the most popular water sports.   I'm told that paddleboarding is a great workout because it exercises the core, and anything these days that works the core, is good!   (Don't forget the other trendy health nugget, get your protein!)  Well several neighbors have paddleboards and I've received multiple offers to borrow one and try it anytime, and I think I will.   That is sure to be entertaining for the summer beach crowd!

This painting depicts my neighbors, a little girl and her aunt, who as you can tell, are very active and fit. For this family, the definition of going to the beach does not just involve plunking down and tanning from a beachchair, but rather it invariably includes some form of fun, physical activity -sailing, kayaking, paddle games etc..  Like most people who choose to live here, they love the ocean!

Coffee on the Front Porch

Coffee on the Front Porch - Stage One

Sitting on a warm front porch with a strong cup of coffee in the middle of summer vacation, for me, works more like a sedative than a pick-me-up.  I was sitting there staring at the flower pots and pink roses, my eyes practically glazing over.   Should I paint these translucent petals?   What else would I include?  Everyday scenes are so obvious that they are often overlooked and/or deemed unworthy as the subject of a painting, but I was surprisingly happy with the result.

Coffee on the Front Porch - Stage Two

Our east facing front porch transitions from full sun to shade at midday and by afternoon only the far end railings and flowers catch the sunlight.   The bright, warm annuals stood out in vivid contrast to the dark shadowy green.    My favorite coffee cup and pink plastic spoon scored a place in the painting as well.

Coffee on the Front Porch - Final

Wild Winter Waves at the Jetty

Most of the time, living at the shore is pure delight.   A person becomes atuned to the rising and lowering of sun, moon and tides in a rhythmic way that becomes somewhat automatic.   This keen awareness can, and does become acute anxiety when harsh storms hit.

Wild Winter Waves at the Jetty

Why the house has been here for over one hundred years through dozens of historic blizzards, so what are the odds that we will get washed away?   Are the odds with us or against us!?!   The one certainty is that all are glad its over, and once a storm is over, it takes a tide cycle or two for the surf to settle down.  When the sun finally emerges, the surf is typically spectacular.   This painting depicts a wild and windy scene the day after a blizzard.   Waves crash into and over the jetties propelling white foam and spray many feet into the air.  Pheww!  Glad it's over!

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Green Harbor Lobster Pound

Lobster Pound

I recently inventoried my array of Green Harbor paintings in preparation for a special project, and I realized that it was incomplete.  I had not yet immortalizing the Green Harbor Lobster Pound.   This seasonal establishment is known for its gigantic and delicious lobster rolls.   The lobster rolls are so popular in fact that there are days that they honor only advance orders. After a certain point on those days, they decline lobster roll orders.    I once witnessed a man state that his wife was going to kill him if he didn't come home with her lobster roll.    I don't know if his plea produced results, and maybe he had to settle for a fried clam plate!   Also delicious!  :)

People Close Up

The Lobster Pound's spring opening starts with the weekends in May and when their little bifold sign announces Mothers' Day lobsters, it always sets the summer lovers' hearts aflutter.   This scene captures a warm Sunday in May as patrons steadily wandered in and out.

Soaring at Sunset

Soaring at Sunset

It probably isn't difficult to determine that I am a morning person.   Most of my plein air painting is typically done in the first part of the day, and there are few sunset paintings.    This is an exception.   It depicts the Green Harbor River channel with sunset approaching.   The light cast by the low sun was purple and pink, except for the large, high clouds which caught more yellow rays.  Even the seagull soaring overhead was tinted pink.

Marshside Birdbath

Marshside Birdbath - Stage One

Last fall I found this old birdbath at an estate sale.   It was in fairly good condition and just needed a coat of black spray paint to spruce it up.   Well it is a big hit with my feathered friends - not only for frequent sips of water but for the activity its name suggests.   The two house finches featured in this painting have a nest in a shrub on my back deck, and are currently working on hatching five dime sized eggs.  They seem to swoop to the birdbath all day, although they always defer to larger starlings.

Marshside Birdbath - Stage Two

It was the end of May and the late afternoon sun had a hazy brightness when I started this painting.  Although it has been raw and damp, this was my kind of day, 65 degrees, not too sunny, and breezy.    The sweet old-fashioned shape of the birdbath caught my eye so rather than packing up for an elaborate paint out, I just set up in the backyard and enjoyed the view.

Marshside Birdbath

Copper as Canvas I

Copper Sky

A couple of years ago, I experimented with painting on pennies and at the time I produced thirty-five tiny images directly on the shiny copper surface.  Recently I revived my interest in painting on copper and started to explore the larger scale use of copper as a painting substrate.  To my surprise, I learned that many masterpieces over the centuries were executed copper and other metals.  There are fine works on copper that have survived for centuries by such master painters as El Greco, Brueghel, Reni, Wtewael, Chardin and Rembrandt.   Preservationists say that copper is more durable and stable than many other surfaces, and undoubtedly more immutable than wood or paper.

I mounted a strip of roll copper onto a piece of reclaimed walnut using copper tacks.   The surface had some impressions of the wood beneath.   I decided to hammer the surface to create a mottled but consistent pattern.   Another copper substrate curiosity pertained to the handling. Apparently fingerprints tend to linger and/or become more pronounced over time so I was careful not to let my skin touch the painting surface of the copper, but instead I handled it with a paper towel.

I did not pre-glaze or underpaint the copper, but rather painted directly on the copper surface.   The paint dried very quickly, which seemed counter intuitive.   Wouldn't a slippery surface without the ability to absorb just result in the paint sitting there?  No, the surface was ready for more paint within an hour.

The dimensions of the vintage walnut is 6x10 inches appropriate for a long beach scene.   A copper colored sunset was the idea I had in mind from the time I first decided to try this metallic.   I used a Green Harbor photo in which a row of dark beach houses were backlit by sunset at low tide, and the wet sand was reflecting the houses and sky.   The copper still shows through which I love.   I let the hammer pattern of the sky dictate the shapes of the clouds.

Dawn Over the Jetty

Dawn Over the Jetty

Sunrises at the shore are often beautiful and occasionally spectacular.   It always depends on the clouds because they provide the variations, shapes and filtering that creates the prettiest color.   The fact that the water reflects all this colorful light doubles the brilliance.   This painting depicts a summer morning at the shore in Green Harbor, MA.  It really doesn't do justice to the scene, but in the absence of the real thing, the painting would be a nice reminder.

Perfectly Colorful Reflections

Brant Rock Boats - In Progress

It was early morning at the dock behind Taylor Marine in Brant Rock, MA  The humidity was noticeably lower than that of the past few days and the sun was brightly shining - a perfect morning.   There were boats in every slip since it was mid-July and although colorful and shimmery, it was chaos.   The job of a plein air painter is as much about what to not include as it is about what makes it into the painting.

Brant Rock Boats

A blue lobster boat with a red stripe at the water line looked dazzling in the direct sunlight, so it was to be the center of interest.    A row of  boats on the left included two bright yellow Sea Tow boats and their yellow reflections - all of which created some strong geometric shapes, although somewhat jagged.  The background boats were painted as dabs of color and done very loosely so as not to draw much attention.

The color matching of the water went well, although in the side-by-side shot, the scene is very dark.   (That's what cameras do in bright situations.)   I still have work to do on this one, mostly making sure the reflections line up with their objects.

The New Harbor Pier

Harbor Park View

On the town pier side of the Green Harbor River there is a new public space called Harbor Park.   A small pavilion with picnic tables and 270 degree views of the marinas, river and marshes make it an ideal spot for painting.   In addition to offering multiple subjects, it is ideal for birding.   Osprey fans take note - the osprey nest with occupants are plainly visible from here.

The view of the painting consisted of the Beach St. Bridge, some beach houses along Bay Ave, the closest town pier dock and of course, lobster boats.  I probably spent more time on the sky than anything else, since the clouds were particularly pretty on this day.    I really enjoyed this new painting location and will certainly return.

Tidal River Morning

Igo Dock - Stage One

The Green Harbor River feeds into the Atlantic Ocean just on the other side of the dyke depicted in this painting.   When the tide is rising, the salt water pours into this basin and at ebb tide the fresh water pours out of the basin into the river channel and onto open ocean.

Igo Dock - Stage Two

I was standing on the brand new dock at the Peter Igo Recreational Park in Marshfield, MA.   The dock's low water level afforded a unique angle of the shoreline all around.    I used bungy cords to tie down the easel to the bolts that connected the dock sections, and other than some gentle rocking caused by the waves, the gear felt secure.

Igo Dock - Stage Three

Tidal River Morning

The term bird watching paradise came to mind with egrets, swans, ducks, geese, red winged black birds, and of course seagulls.   The color scheme had an overall grayness because of the milky skies and the silt under the salty riverbed.   The starring role had to go to the snowy egret that spent so much time with me.  The egret actively fished standing at the edge of the water.   It recoiled its necks into the letter S and in a flash, stabbed its beak into the water, most times coming up with a small silver sliver.   When the breeze came up, its long white feathers floated up catching the light - a gift to see.