Two Boston Skylines from the South Shore

Along several locations on the South Shore, there are over-water vistas of the Boston skyline.  These two scenes were both done plein air - one from Quincy and one from Hingham.   

The Logan Airport approach corridor (presumably depending on the winds) crosses overland just to the west of the Atlantic shoreline, thus the jet and hints of colorful gas tank from Quincy.

Pink Boston Skyline

 

The second skyline is from a vantage a bit further south at Crow Point in Hingham.  This is a gorgeous spot in which many waterfront homes, are graced with their own docks.  

Boston Skyline from Crow Point

 

The paint mixing and application for the sky and water were done thickly via palette knife.   The buildings and hard-scape elements were done with brush - thick nonetheless.   These are the summer colors of New England; we seldom see turquoise!

Weir Farm Slopeside Pair

Slopeside Pair

At the Weir Farm in Hingham, MA annual Farm Day was coming up, and in the days prior to the event, painters were invited to set up on the premises and capture a scene.    The parking lot at the top of the hill has a beautiful view of the Boston skyline to the north and I did contemplate tackling that.  But I thought, why paint a city skyline when a bucolic hillside with Belted Galloways is just a 90 degree glance in the other direction?

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Stone Wall Amid the Meadow - World's End

Stone Wall Amid the Meadows

My second map assignment at the South Street Gallery paint out for Worlds End faced Hingham Harbor.  Of the two assignments, I expected this to be the nicer view scene, but unfortunately it was dead low tide.    There was virtually no water when it was time to set up, which helped with the decision to turn in the opposite direction.   I captured a gorgeous uphill view which included a nice old stone wall, large old maple trees and a puffy-cloud, fair-weather  sky.

Rocky Outcropping - World's End

Hull Harbor Overlook - Stage One

Hull Harbor Overlook - Stage Two

The South Street Gallery in Hingham invited me to participate in a paint-out event at World's End in Hingham, MA, a beautiful penninsula that is a part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park. The paintings are part of a silent auction taking place this June (2017) and a portion of the proceeds benefit The Trustees of World's End.

Painters drew lottery numbers which corresponded to several scenic locations on the World's End map.    I picked two numbers, leading to the discovery of a deer gathering spot along the shore.   How did I know that?   Well after trekking down a steep grassy slope, following a very narrow deer-sized opening in the tall grass, I came to a flat spot where the grass was freshly flattened, as if something had been lying there.  

Rocky Outcropping - World's End

Further evidence was the fact that during my post-paint-out visit, Opie, my grandpuppy, was a bit crazed as he apparently caught a scent on my boots.     This view faced the long neck of land that comprises Hull, MA, although there were rocky outcroppings between me and Hull.  Spring Worlds End facing the Hull Side.

Weir Farm Paint Out

Bug Stuck in Thick Paint

Weir Farm Paint Out - Stage One

Weir Farm in Hingham, MA boasts a countryside feel, ocean vistas and a breathtaking view of the Boston Skyline.   I loved this spot and took a nice walk to explore my options before getting into painting.  I saw a pair of hawks swooping around and being engaged by yet another smaller hawk.   Two baby calves were trotting around in the grass and playing together.    It was just gorgeous out there and it got brighter and sunnier as time went by.


I painted the cows right away, both because they were to be the center of interest, and because they happened to have arranged themselves in an nice abstraction of black and white spots.  They got up and moved several times during the course of my time there so I'm glad I captured them when I did. After painting the cows I started at the top of the canvas and worked from the sky on down, mostly using a palette knife.   The tops of the trees in the valley below the meadow had new spring growth with pale green and pink hues.  The colors got warmer and greener as they got closer to the foreground.

Weir Farm

I loved being at this beautiful spot and it probably is the primary reason the result was decent, especially the color match.  Early on, there was another good omen.   A bug landed in the freshly painted sky, a badge of honor to a plein air painter.

Translation, we were out there in the elements, and we - well, at least one of us - survived!

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Bridge and Cedar

Bridge and Cedar - In Progress

"Free, Fun, Fridays" is the name of a program in the Greater Boston for which many organizations and "not-for-profits" offer complimentary admissions/passes.  We took advantage of the free parking at World's End in Hingham this past Friday.  We hiked the trails and saw amazing views of the Boston skyline and then we settled in at a picturesque spot to paint.

A mature, old cedar near the entrance caught my eye, but I also liked the bridge which crosses over the outlet from the Damde Meadows Tidal Marsh.  I found a spot where I could include both of these nice features in my painting design. 



Bridge and Cedar World's End

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Paige Street View

Paige Street - Stage One

A quaint old Hingham neighborhood called "Crow Point" is situated just 10 miles south of Boston and can boast both ocean and bay views - even a distant view of the Boston skyline.     Modern builders could benefit from studying the lines and grace of many of these old houses.  Cupolas, gazebos and ornate weathervanes made each home a little different and more interesting than the next.   I likes the hints of (just enough) age and stress that give them character.   The "too pristine" look of "new development" wouldn't fit in well here.    Many large. centuries old shade trees accented the pretty but narrow streets.



Paige Street

One of my favorite homes was at the end of Paige Street.   I could only guess how many old fireplaces may have been serviced by that big old brick chimney.    The multiple, elegant rounded bows and white window trim picked up the warm light nicely.     I painted the scene somewhat realistically, although if you look closely, the pinks and yellows in the asphalt are certainly prettier than the real thing!


Crow Point

Crow Point Paint Out Stage One

Early on a Sunday morning, I drove Route 3A to the Hingham Yacht Club which is located on Crow Point.   This unique peninsula location is isolated from the "through" traffic and congestion of the South Shore and yet Crow Point has the feel of a quaint old fashioned neighborhood.  I could see why the properties in this amazing location are so desirable.  

This section of Hingham is only ten linear miles (i.e.. as the crow flies) from downtown Boston.   The drive by car is probably twice that because the primary roads loop inland and snake through Weymouth and Quincy, then up through Dorchester. The Boston skyline was plainly visible from where I stood, and a regular stream of jets were using the approach corridor overhead to land at Logan International Airport.




Crow Point Paint Out Stage Two

I studied the options for my painting.   I wanted to include the city skyline, although the light was hitting it straight on.   That meant less shadows and less contrast.   The southeastern sun was behind me so everything was brightly illuminated, including my canvas.   I decided on a big summery August sky to emphasize that wide open expanse and the compressed horizontal lines of the land masses at the bottom.

To accomplish that I positioned the canvas portrait style.  Situated between the spot I painted from and the city, there were various Boston Harbor Islands (Peddocks, Long, Spectacle and Thompson's).   Toward the foreground, a private dock was built out into the bay, entering the scene from the left.  A neat, dazzling white speedboat was tied up to its dock at the end.



Crow Point Looking Northwest

During the course of the paint out, several beautiful boats sailed or motored by.   Selecting one to include was a difficult decision - because then they were quickly gone.   How did the old masters do it without photography?   In the end, I elected to omit the extra boats because they never did enter the framing of my scene, but rather were off to my right.  Instead,  I added a strong trio of seagulls to balance the composition which had been heavily weighted toward the bottom.