Evening Paint Out After Rain

Evening Paint Out After Rain

 I recently painted en plein air along Littles Creek which is behind the JPH Organization in Marshfield.   It had been a very rainy day and it really did look doubtful that this paint out would happen at all.   As I set up it started getting brighter and brighter.   Clouds did dominant as you can see in the whitish sky.   The sun broke thru a bit however!   

It is interesting to note that when everything outside is wet, the dark values like shadows and underbrush are
very dark so that the value range just about covers the whole spectrum.   The wild June roses were spectacular so I pumped up the color in the painting.   Enjoy!

Wild Primrose

Is this the yellow rose of Texas?   That was the question in my head as I set up to paint.   It was the sole blossom I saw at a marshy beach-bordering area on the easternmost point of Galveston Island.   I do know it was a primrose, because there was a nature trail display describing the natural elements here.   I loved that there was also winter clover everywhere I looked, lush and green.   New friends, Galveston neighbors, said that once the heat of spring, summer and fall arrives, things dry out and no there is no sign of such moist greenery.

Wild Primrose

Stetson Woods River View

Stetson Woods River View

Less than two miles from home, we found a new set of trails that are "hidden" behind an old cemetery.  Thanks to online maps, we discovered that there are many woodland areas along the North River in Marshfield.  We've walked four trails so far, my favorite an area called the Stetson Woods.   It actually has a riverside beach (tire swing and all) and a large picnic area.   Of course since it was December, we didn't meet another soul, never mind swimmers or picnic people. 

This painting depicts the northernmost edge of the woods where the marsh opened up wide to reveal the North River snaking beyond.   The expansive marsh was bright gold, but the shadiest spots were dark and frozen.    Tall marsh grasses and cattails help the composition by bridging deep shadow and bright winter light.

This painting took a while as it measures 24" x 30".

Harbor Park - Willow and Ospreys

Willows and Ospreys - Harbor Park in Progress

More and more people are starting to use Harbor Park on Dribeck Road near Marshfield's Marina.   When the park was first completed, I could paint there and in two hours, never see anyone stop or stroll through.  Today, people steadily passed by, some taking a break under the gazebo and some asking about my painting.

Willows and Ospreys - Harbor Park

The scene is somewhat typical of a tidal river, cedar trees, willows, marshgrass, stone retaining walls and of course, seagrass.   I was most interested in the osprey nest built on a wooden platform on a tall pole in the middle of the inlet.  If I were to paint it to scale, the nest would be but a speck in the grand scheme of the painting, so I made it much larger.   The nest that sits out over the marsh grass was very active with two adult ospreys bringing fish for the two (large) chicks.   You can view my scene and a bit of drama when another osprey harassed the nest in the video.

Lonesome Cedar

Lonesome Cedar - Stage One

Cedar trees are a common sight on the South Shore of Massachusetts.   If you have ever been in a Cedar Grove, you know that their dense habit creates a natural noise cancelling effect; it is almost magical how they deaden the sounds.

Lonesome Cedar - Stage Two

There aren't too many Cedar Groves left,  but often there will be a lone cedar at the edge of a field, marsh or river.   They usually look very dark and bushy against any sunlit backdrop, as in this painting done along the North River, looking toward Marshfield, MA.

Lonesome Cedar - Final

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.

Harbor Park Along Green Harbor River

Harbor Park - Stage One

Harbor Park is a new open space near the town pier in Marshfield, MA.  It boasts a beautiful 300 degree vista of marsh, river, marinas and docks. The picnic tables have a nice, solid overhead shelter, which came in handy the last hot day I painted there. On this day I wanted to capture the Dribeck Road bridge that passes over the marsh.   This time instead of painting from Harbor Park, I set up in the town pier parking lot and faced north so that I could paint Harbor Park itself along with the bridge.

Harbor Park - Stage Two

There was quite a bit of activity by maintenance crews, cleaning and mowing, and I later discovered from a Harbormaster staff member that these were preparations for the local television station, Fox 25's "Zip Trip."     The marsh grasses were just beginning to turn gold and even though it was a mostly cloudy day, this spot was simply gorgeous.    No wonder it was to be showcased on television.

Harbor Park from Pier

My tip to the television crew would be to not set up where I was, as toward the end of my paint out, the wind shifted to the west, thereby enveloping me in the odor of the "tuna head" barrel.    I was almost done at that point and here is the progress so far. I plan to tone down the blue on the bridge before it gets framed.

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.

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

Blakeman's at Sunset II

Sunset at Blakeman's II

At the Duxbury Beach Reservation in Duxbury, Massachusetts, there is a seasonal fish shack called Blakeman's.   The place is just about as casual a restaurant as you'll find, a perfect dinner option for tired and hungry (even barefoot) beachgoers.     With the right timing, you may get to enjoy a gorgeous sunset over Duxbury Bay like the one that inspired this painting, as you consume your fish and chips.

The south facing side of the pavillion building is covered with colorful lobster buoys and in this scene, they are bathed in shadowy blue.   Non-shadows had an orangey glow that spilled onto the roof peaks, sandy gravel and seagrasses.   This blue/orange harmony is one of my favorites, especially for sunsets.  I pumped up the color by using the more extreme tinting power of Prussian Blue, contrasted with a cadmium red and yellow blend.

This painting was created for the Duxbury Art Association 2017 Exhibition commemorating its 100th year.  If selected, it would be part of a larger panel exhibit and/or auctioned to raise money for the DAA community programs.    Alternately, it could be auctioned off or put
on display by DAA, so I will keep you posted!

Workshop Studies

Cataumet Cove

This week I was one of the lucky painters who participated in a workshop with contemporary realist painter Joseph McGurl.     The workshop was information rich - covering everything from composition to paint application to framing and even today's challenging art market.   If you are ever given the chance to participate, jump at it!


Seagull on Boulder

Despite the - almost - constant mist and rain, we got four painting studies done using some of the techniques, tips and strategies that this amazing artist uses.    It is always a bit unnerving to try new methods (custom view finder, acrylic underpainting, atmospheric glazes), but in the spirit of breaking out of our comfort zones, Joe challenged us to do just that.     He circled through the group offering assistance several times during each painting session, keeping us moving along on our paintings - what was working and what aspects needed attention.

Cataumet PO 02534

My favorite part of the workshop were the demonstrations. I was absolutely mesmerized during both the plein air and studio work.   I remember sitting at one point staring at his illuminated canvas and thinking how fortunate I was and that it was a gift to be able to see this painting in-progress (soon to be on display in New York for international audiences to appreciate.)   His approach and methodology are uniquely his own.   I don't think it was shared so that they would be precisely emulated, but rather to be considered within our own signature styles.  New tools for the toolbox.

Misty Garden Cherub

I've included my four painting sketches, Marsh Cove in Cataumet, Big Boulder, Cataumet PO 02534, Misty Garden Cherub.  All four need work, but here are the post paint-out versions.

Snowy House Across the Marsh

Snowy House Across the Marsh
(Black, White and Torrit Grey)

Each year the Gamblin Oil Colors Company runs a contest in which participants are challenged to create a work of art using only black, white and a custom color made by Gamblin called "Torrit Grey".     And each year, the entries that painters come up with (using just values without color) just amaze me.  Perhaps it is the very nature of being constrained that gets the creative juices flowing.  I'm not talking about me, but check out this link for last year's entries.

 http://www.gamblincolors.com/contest-2014/gallery.php

This will be my third time participating.  I've been busy preparing for a winter snow show, which got me thinking about the limited palette of winter - almost like a Torrit Grey.   Thus I used an old winter reference photo to paint the Snowy House Across the Marsh in Torrit Grey.

Patio Rocker

Patio Rocker - In Progress

Our tiny piece of paradise is a mere 3000 square feet - property size - not the house size.   Who needs more property when the abutter consists of 25 acres of red cedar, bayberry thickets, salt marsh and the Cut River.     This open space has been the backdrop in past paintings and again in this painting.  The subject is my next door neighbor's patio; it is flooded with afternoon light and deep blue shadows.

Patio Rocker

Fresh New Snow

Last Snowscape of Winter

Out the window is a great way to paint from life without the struggle of facing the cold, wind and blowing snow.   It's been a long cold winter and we still are experiencing single digit temperatures even though we are in March!

The icebergs on the saltmarsh float up during high tide, then as the water drains they become stacked, toppling over each other.  With a coating of fresh new snow blanketing all of that, the paint matching for today was clean, white snow, periwinkle blue shadows and chunky, muddy frozen marsh.  As the winter has worn on, I find myself scooping up thicker and thicker amounts of snow paint thicker, as if it can help depict the depth and density the snowpack of 2015!

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Wonderful Part of Winter

Snowy Marsh View

I love painting snow and with the record amount of snow on the ground, there are no worries about it melting away any time soon.    Oddly, even the salt marsh is totally snow and ice covered.  Ordinarily the ocean tides fill up the marsh, melting the snow and ice, leaving the dull brown marsh grasses.    I felt compelled to get out there and record the gorgeous purple-blue snow shadows.    The dense, dark cedars bordering the marsh provided a nice contrast to the bright white snow. 



Bright Snow Paint Pile with Swirls of Confetti Color

I worked everything except the brightest whites.  Once the darks and mid-tones are recorded accurately, the final strokes of the white could be spread on thickly and in such a way that they overlapped the darker values - layered on top - just like snow.

I was enjoying the sparkling refraction of the bright snow and there was a whole spectrum of color specks flashing at me.  As white as snow may look, it isn't titanium white out of the tube; it has color too.  I made a generous pile of titanium and added a touch of several light value hues, pink, yellow, teal, blue etc.  It reminded me of confetti, so that's what I made the paint pile look like.





Snowy Marsh View

This painting has a fresh, vivid feel that sometimes -happily- happens with plein air.

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Hicks Point from Bay Road, Duxbury

Cedars on the Marsh

In South Duxbury, Massachusetts, the coastline turns inward and faces Kingston Bay.   There are several marshy areas that border Kingston Bay forming pretty inlets.     The inlet in front of me in this painting is Island Creek, and presumably it passes under the road I was on (Bay Road).     According to the map I checked, the neck of land on the left is called Hicks Point.   Wouldn't that house make a great painting location (or home for that matter)!   I had to settle for a long view of it for this painting.

The tide was rising and it was an astronomically extra-high tide.   The marsh quickly turned watery and what really caught my attention were the two huge clusters of dark cedars.   Although I loved the composition through my viewfinder, once I captured in on the canvas, it was quite ordinary. I was somewhat disappointed with the result from the actual paint out.

Hicks Point, South Duxbury, MA

I guess you could say that "ordinary" was the theme of this paint out.   No unusual stories to report; it was just a peaceful, serene session of matching marshy golds and cloudy skies.   Okay, I think what I'm saying is this post is dull, #pleinair painting is always exciting!

South River View - Studio

South River Color Study

It was time to work on the large canvas version of the South River View.   In the previous blog post, I described the color study done "en plein air" for my color reference.  The large canvas was 24 x 36 inches which I underpainted with a warm cadmium red light, raw sienna and a sky undertone of Naples Yellow.   I knew that using these warm tones as a base would help give the painting a warm golden glow.




South River Underpainting - Stage One

The 9x12 color study came in handy back in the studio for color reference, although the key of the painting was one value darker since it was painted outside.   Photographs do not register color as well as the human eye.  I took photographs too, but mostly for composition purposes - cropping, drawing and element placement.

The elongated horizontal nature of the scene would make a nice addition to a large wall.  As for the color, this was probably the perfect time to paint the salt marsh.   The "extreme greens" of summer were being slowly replaced with hints of autumn red and gold.  



South River - Stage Two

I began by carefully sketching in my scene with dark transparent oxide brown.   A good likeness to the scene was very important so I took relative measurements - several times.   The composition had a pleasing variety of elements that helped balance the overall lights and darks.   For example the dark trees on the far shore were balanced by the darks of the foreground underbrush.
The larger canvas required mixing large piles of pigment. I began with a pthalo blue and white sky knowing that I would be building up the layers of sky prior to adding the summery clouds.   Next I mixed the distant marsh greens which were cool pale yellowish green, gradually getting warmer and greener as they got closer to the foreground.   The long rustic dock out to the tidal river was an iconic element adding angularity amid the surrounding soft marsh grasses.



South River

I took liberties with the foreground shrubbery, introducing some vivid green and red sumac, and I pumped up the grey-blue of windblown Juneberries.   And no September landscape would be complete without bright yellow goldenrod.

Finally I added the summer afternoon cloud pattern echoing the lines of the river and drawing their lights down into the river. 

This large painting was created for Catherine with happy birthday wishes from her daughter Leslie.   This spectacular view is special to Catherine and certainly it is looking its best on a sunny, pristine September day.   Happy Birthday to Catherine!

South River View - Color Study

South River View - Color Study Paint Out

Color studies are sometimes used by painters to create a record of a scene when the ultimate goal is to paint a large scale or particularly complicated scene back in the studio.   This great reference tool is far superior to a photograph, supplying more accurate hues and other memorable aspects of the scene.   The goal is to match the fresh direct color from the plein air experience and then apply it to the large canvas. 

When I arrived at the painting location I was very pleasantly surprised!  Sometimes the suggestion of a particular view may or may not make a nice painting, but in this case, the view was just stunning! The vantage from the nicely elevated deck revealed an 180 degree expanse of the South River and surrounding marshes in Marshfield.    By looking east, (the direction of the painting), the southernmost section of Humarock, the northerly parts of Rexhame, and Rexhame Beach sandwiched in between, were visible.

South River View - Color Study in Progress

As for the color, this was probably the perfect time of year to paint the salt marsh.   The "extreme greens" of summer were now supplemented with the toned-down hints of red and gold that signaled September.   I wished it was sunnier, but the sun was occasionally peaking through enough to allow a good study.



South River Color Study

The paint mixing was done exclusively with a palette knife, as was the paint application.   I wanted to be sure that the color study had a generous amount of paint so that back in the studio, it would be clear which colors I was going after for the larger work.  After all it was not necessarily to come up with an accurate drawing for the color study.   The accuracy of drawing and placement would be important for the larger work though, and for that, a photograph would make a perfect reference.

The color study has its own (very loose) feel and was not only ready to serve its purpose, but a nice enough painting in its own right.  

Coming up soon, the large scale painting...


Garden at the Edge of the Marsh

Marshside Garden

It was the end of July which meant the vegetable and flower garden was reaching its peak. My lettuce had been coming in steadily, the best lettuce year ever.  I had harvested more than a dozen cucumbers already and I was looking forward to the first batch of salsa once the dozens of green tomatoes started turning red.    The wide zinnia border in front of the vegetables was even starting to get edged out by the advancing vegetables.    Not every gardening year has been like this one, so it was gratifying to see everything doing so well!   So what better way to remember it than to record it in paint!

My purple butterfly bush had to be a prominent element for this 2014 garden painting.   When I trimmed out its dead wood in Spring, it looked quite lopsided but fortunately it sprouted symmetrically and it was in full bloom.    It towered over the rest of the garden and its purple blooms looked beautiful against the lush green marsh grasses.   It really does attract butterflies, and it also attracts bees and, occasionally, hummingbirds.

After roughing in the distant sky, tree line and marsh in more muted tones I turned my attention to the garden elements which would be most prominent.  The bright greens, yellows, reds and purples got me mixing big piles of paint that I applied impasto style - full, thick color with a palette knife.   I also included the one very large sunflower peaking out from Bob's garden beyond.

I love thick "out of the tube" paint color.


Marshside Garden

Duxbury Beach and Bay

Duxbury Beach and Bay Stage One

Construction projects in our household generate quite a bit of scrap lumber.   It doesn't all make suitable painting surfaces, but occasionally I will pluck a board or piece of wood that looks uniform and smooth.   Medium Density Fiberboard or MDF is a popular shelving material and I grabbed a fairly long piece recently and started to prepare it by applying several coats of black gesso.  This shelving reject was going to become a panoramic, over-the-sofa painting.

Duxbury Beach and Bay Stage Two

As you have seen in some of the blog posts, I occasionally record 360 degree videos of my paint out locations.   I thought it would be interesting to produce a painting that spans a nice wide view, and I had been thinking about capturing one of my favorite local vistas for this painting.    

At Duxbury Beach Reservation, the long white sandy beach (left) is bordered by a wide strip of dunes, beach grasses and shrubs(middle), then the beach road, more grasses, then Duxbury Bay(right).   If you stand at the top of one of the first crossovers, a footpath from the bayside to the beach, you can see a fantastic view of both the ocean and the bay, the subject of this painting.    The size of this is 10 x 42.5 without any frame, and would be nice over a mantle or sofa.

Duxbury Beach and Bay