Bog Pumphouses

Bog Pumphouses

 

 

 

 

 

 

A friend and I painted at this huge cranberry bog in Middleboro, MA.   The winding road with three visible pump houses attracted my attention right away.   I hoped to capture the perspective of just how big these bogs were by virtue of the diminishing size of the three structures.

The day started out a little cloudy and dismal, but gradually, it brightened.   Light changes can dramatically affect your painting.   "Chasing the light," is a common mistake, meaning, you paint your initial scheme of light as it appears (in this case cloudy - very pretty).   Then things may change.   The lighting scheme brightens and we observe the new light and paint that (in this case it became full sun).

The funny thing is, if you are really engrossed in the process, light changes may not be immediately apparent.   It's sometimes only when you start sweating that you realize it got warm and sunny :).  I did chase the light a bit, but since I worked the far horizon first, which is cooler and bluer - even on a sunny day, painting a sunny foreground an hour later worked fine.  I did have to go back and add the shadowy section on the road to be consistent.

I thought about adding the first visitor to our area of the bog - a coyote!   It was walking through the bog straight toward us but then, about 40 feet away, took a right turn away!  Yikes!   Plein air can be very exciting!

Boston Harbor Grand View

This painting was a very large undertaking and now, after working on it for three years, it is "critique-ready".

The expansive scene depicts Boston Harbor from the fifth floor of the Boston Harbor Hotel.   This venue is a personal favorite, but not a place where we, or most, can often afford.   The painting depicts a busy summer vista; you name it - it's happening. On the water, along the shore and even overhead there is movement and action.   At water level, there are ferries, schooners, sailboats, tugs and tankers.   Along the water's edge the World Trade Center, several hotels, the Moakley Federal Courthouse, and lavish waterfront residences are visible.  In the distance is Logan Airport with jets lifting off every two minutes.   

"I really ought to tackle this scene in paint," I had declared on more than one occasion.  I remember being mesmerized at the hotel window trying to take it all in. It would have to be a large painting and in my old studio, I barely had room to work on it.  When I did put it on the easel, there wasn't space to work on anything else - how mundane.   In the new, larger studio, I have the space and I was able to dedicate a corner for this project and still be able to work on other creations.

The most challenging part of this project was assembling all the reference material.  I used several pictures of the harbor, covering this wide expanse.   The dome-topped pavilion became my measuring unit for sizing the many pictures involved.

The lighting scheme is late afternoon and there were tropical shower clouds drifting in from the northwest.   I am open to feedback, good, bad or otherwise!

Boston Harbor Grand View