Cool Greenish Morning - St Pete Beach

There is a main thoroughfare that runs north/south along the interior shore (east side) of the St Pete Beach barrier island called Pass-A-Grille Way.   Conveniently, the parking and the sidewalk are right along the inlet where I saw dolphins, pelicans and all kinds of egrets.  It was early when I set up to paint and the shore of the "mainland" was barely visible because of the mist.   

A walker who lives nearby told me that the foreground dock that I was painting had just been completed when Hurricane Milton hit.   There was enough damage (and more pressing repairs on the island,) that it remains unusable - that is - unless you are painting it. haha  The dock beyond the closest pier is the functioning Merry Dock and that is where the Miss Pass-A-Grille fishing boat was docked.   Luckily that boat did not move while I painted.   

As for the painting process, I tried to stay true to the misty morning, making sure that everything had a greenish tinge to it.   If I had had chromium green with me, it would have been useful, but instead I made do with Sap Green, Viridian, and Emerald.   The seagulls and pelicans were also very cooperative!

Merry Dock

Quincy 400 Marina Bay Festival Plein Air

On July Fourth weekend, I was invited along with other painters to create some live works of art of along the boardwalk at beautiful Marina Bay in Quincy, MA.   Quincy was founded in 1625, a mere five years after Plymouth, so its 400th anniversary is here and it was celebrated in grand style.   There was a full three days of programming including great music, patriotic parades, children's events and even John Adams made an appearance in vintage garb.  

The heat was a factor and remembering to drink while immersed in a plein air painting is always a challenge.   The event company who invited us took very good care of us though, and we were even treated to a gourmet lunch (albeit in a box).  I created two paintings that day which were part of a mini competition on Sunday.   Amazing artist Morgan Davis took the top prize with her painting of the clock tower.   (far left in the picture)  That's me with my eyes closed :).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The complex dock scenes below would have terrified me not too long ago.  I have since learned to let the details go and concentrate on the big shapes and concentrate on painting a few key elements well.   The viewers' eyes and brain do the rest as they digest the painting!   All the American flags were done with my palette knife with one very loose, long stroke.  

 

Marina Bay Boardwalk - West Q400

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marina Bay Boardwalk - North Q400

Wollaston Yacht Club Plein Air

The Quincy Art Association organized and hosted this paint out and yours truly was the instructor/demo painter.   We arrived plenty early to get set up and it was a good thing.   We quickly realized (like boaters before a storm) that we needed more ropes (aka bungies).    The wind was gusting to 25-30 mph and it was the first lesson that was discussed regarding successful plein air painting.  The large tent next to me where the painting participants were working actually flipped over.  Equipment must be weighted down to the point were it will not budge!   In every photo, I'm gripping my easel out of habit, even though I was securely tied down.  The bright sun and warm temperatures (low 90s) were also challenging but the participants stuck with it and all came away with a work of art they should be proud of!

This is my painting from the demo, a depiction of the Wollaston Yacht Club and dock with Quincy Bay and some Boston Harbor Islands in the distance. 

Wollaston Yacht Club and Dock

 

 

Rows of Harbor Slips

Rows of Harbor Slips - In Progress

There is a perfectly located municipal building along the water in Scituate, MA.  Apparently the building is not in use, so I was happy to enjoy the spot for painting,  along with others who had also discovered a view that could only enhance their morning coffee.

 

The wide aspect of this canvas (8x16 inches) was nicely suited for depicting a sweeping vista that included rows of boat slips, the distant Second Cliff, a long dock with boathouse and even the privacy fence of the next property to the south.

Rows of Harbor Slips

 

Two Megs - 2

I like all things "fish."  I'm a Pisces; I truly am "that" in a lot of ways. Ha ha. I eat fish often - usually 3-4 times a week.  I love to swim.   I crave being at the ocean, yet I am enthralled with all water related scenes.   

A favorite painting subject is fishing and fishing boats.  Does it stem from my being a Pisces or is it my ancestral Newfoundland fishing family roots?  Maybe both together?

Anyhow, I painted this exact scene a couple of years ago en plein air, and it sold right away so I decided to enjoy it again, this time from the photo.  The historic and enormous Boston Fish pier is the backdrop and the fishing boat called "Two Megs" in the foreground is picking up the sunshine.

Two Megs II

Grassy Side of the Harbor

Grassy Side of the Harbor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One side of this Scituate waterfront scene was an industrial plateau of trucks, granite, hot top and metal railings, while the opposite side was a lush, verdant and overgrown jungle.  For this plein air painting, no-brainer; I let the marshy green side dominate!    I did not paint fast enough to capture the high tide at the start in which the tallest boats and dock cranes were breaking the horizon line.   By the time their turn came, the water level had dropped them into a less dramatic position.  That's the challenge of painting live-and-in-person - change can be hard!  haha.

If you are interested, enlarge the dock scene.  The rope barrels, traps and fishing gear in the mid-distance which looked - in person - like a congested collection of chaos, would have to be tamed into a coherent and recognizable element of the painting.   It was an exercise in discipline.  How to make this complex part of the scene look realistic without too much tedium?  It took three steps.  1) Several colorful dots were applied in a straight horizontal line, 2) their colors were then pulled down into the (already painted) water below for reflection, and 3) a long narrow dark stroke cut through that for the underside of the dock.   A typical New England dock in an abstract sort of way.

Besides painting, the most pleasant part was observing the ducks wade around.   Their preference was also the green side - that is until the people with stale bread appeared at the parking rail.