Rocks and Seals - Take Two

Brant Rock Seals

There is a section of rocky coastline between the Green Harbor River and the Brant Rock neck section of Marshfield, MA that has become home for a small seal population.   At low tide, the seals can be seen sunning themselves on the more distant rocks.  They actually looked like rocks themselves, except that the shape was a little different - two pointed ends (head and tail :)).

The seals were the highlight of this paint out, along with the mild temperatures and calm seas.  As for the painting, there were challenges.  I've been painting a lot of rocks and surf lately so I mistakenly thought it would go smoothly.  I set up on the (sinking) sand, near the (rising) water line, just down from the (windy) opening along Ocean Street.   I began sketching the myriad of rocks and boulders connecting the abstract dark shapes across the scene.   Fast forward one hour...the easel blew over and I couldn't seem to get set up the same way again.   I painted for a few more minutes holding the board in my hand, working around the sand and gravel on my palette.  Arrggrrhhh!  I remind myself that a bad day painting on the beach beats a great day in an office every time!

The painting was only about 60% complete when I packed up.  That was a year ago.   I just found this painting again and with fresh eyes, saw what it needed.   So this is "Take Two" with a few improvements - I think.

Here's a paint-out bonus...a short clip of the seals.

https://youtu.be/-sd13uJa2gw

Ocean Bluff Facing South

Ocean Bluff Facing South - Sight Sized

Today's paint out took place at Constellation Road in the Ocean Bluff section of Marshfield, MA.   Along this easterly facing shore, there is a brand new seawall with nice concrete steps that lead down to the sand.    It was still April so it was a bit chilly, but by standing at the top of the stairs I was shielded from the wind by concrete barriers to the north and to the east.    The surf was a bit high and provided a rhythmic roar.    I often think I wish I could bottle up the feel and smell of the air propelled up from crashing waves.   The best I can do is to share this Surf Sights and Sounds Video and do a good job painting the waves and seafoam.

SOLD

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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King Caesar House View

King Caesar House View - Stage One

Historic Marker

In Duxbury, MA there is an antique mansion called the "King Caesar House" that has a varied history.   It was initially the residence of one of the most successful ship builders an owners in America, Ezra Weston and descendants.   His enormous success led to the nickname "King Caesar."    The Weston family eventually sold the mansion and it became a prep school for boys in the early nineteen hundreds.   It was then home to Austrian born painter, Elizabeth Weber-Fulop and eventually it was purchased by the community and converted into a museum in 1967.  The museum commemorates the busy shipbuilding days of Duxbury and is even open for tours and special events.   I considered painting the mansion itself, but decided that an elaborate architectural drawing would not be as much fun on this particular day as the pretty distant shoreline and interesting wind bent trees in the park.  There was a nice green space in front of the museum which faces Kingston Bay, with Plymouth in the far distance where I set up.


King Caesar House View - Stage Two

 
I seldom underpaint these days but I did cover the white line with transparent red oxide for a change.   It brought some life to the spring greens, but was too harsh for my liking for the more distant areas.  For these distant planes, I made sure I covered it up.


https://youtu.be/y4kTlj5v1s8

Here is a nearly complete painting from this early Spring paint out.

King Caesar Mansion View

Brant Rock Sunrise

Brant Rock Sunrise - Stage One

One of the (few?) benefits of winter days is the relatively late dawn.  The sun had already broken over the horizon when I arrived but the colors were a memorable pink, yellow and lavender.     A winter storm over the weekend had the surf churning. The blushing sunrise and wave action inspired me to capture the scene as quickly as I could.   I've painted at this spot in the Brant Rock section of Marshfield on numerous occasions now.   It is a northeast facing shoreline which places the sunrise at the actual Brant Rock and the parallel jetty just in front of it.  

Brank Rock Sunrise - Stage Two

A bright and colorful sky influences everything in the scene with the same hues.   I mixed up plenty of the sky color so that I would have enough ready to mix into all the other lights.    The boulders in front of me were dark and blue, a sharp contrast to the blinding light shining off the wet areas and rim light.  I blurred the shine off the rocks to convey the glare - not easy since my initial attempts became contaminated with the dark paint underneath.  

(This is a good example of how inadequate photos can be.   The actual scene was colorful yet the photos are practically tonal with barely any of the pink or yellow visible.)



https://youtu.be/RlOGtaRcfI8

Rocks and Seals

There is a section of rocky coastline between the Green Harbor River and the Brant Rock neck section of Marshfield, MA that has become home for a small seal population.   At low tide, the seals can be seen sunning themselves on the more distant rocks.  They actually looked like rocks themselves, except that the shape was a little different - two pointed ends (head and tail :)).

The seals were the highlight of this paint out, along with the mild temperatures and calm seas.  As for the painting, there were challenges.  I've been painting a lot of rocks and surf lately so I mistakenly thought it would go smoothly.  I set up on the (sinking) sand, near the (rising) water line, just down from the (windy) opening along Ocean Street.   I began sketching the myriad of rocks and boulders connecting the abstract dark shapes across the scene.   Fast forward one hour...the easel blew over and I couldn't seem to get set up the same way again.   I painted for a few more minutes holding the board in my hand, working around the sand and gravel on my palette.  Arrggrrhhh!  I remind myself that a bad day painting on the beach beats a great day in an office every time!

The painting was only about 60% complete when I packed up.  The remainder was done in the studio - and it still isn't quite done.   I'm sharing it now, but I think it needs something.   Maybe a unifying toned glaze to tone down the bright areas on the rocks.   I welcome your critiques as always. 

Here's a paint out bonus...
a short clip of the seals.

https://youtu.be/-sd13uJa2gw

Rock Formations with Crashing Surf

Rock Formations with Crashing Surf

Today's paint-out took place approximately 77 miles from home, at the southernmost tip of Jamestown, Rhode Island.   This green space is surrounded by impressive rock formations which protect Beavertail Light, the third oldest lighthouse in the United States.   The rugged rock formations and high surf were spectacular, and reminded me of the Pacific shoreline, complete with a distinctly turquoise tint.  I was meeting more plein air painters; in total there were six of us.   We all agreed that, although it was a long ride, it was well worth it.   And as I have said on more than one occasion, plein air is as much about the experienced place and time as it is about coming out with a (great?) painting.

What a spot!  The access road encircles the lighthouse and is situated above the rugged and complex cliffs.   Openings in the guardrail permitted access to the tops of the rocky cliffs and a very active surf thirty feet below.   The eastern morning sun was causing a tremendous glare just to the left of the canvas.   The 9x12 viewfinder was clipped to the right, so fortunately I wasn't looking directly into the brightness.    It definitely was a tough day for my eyes.   I did wear sunglasses throughout most of rock sketching.   When it was time for true color matching I was forced to remove them.   The painting shown was the second painting of the day; it's closer to finished than the first.   I'll show painting number one once I get a chance to view it in the studio.

Click on the link for a short snippet of the panoramic view.  The land mass in the distance is Newport, Rhode Island.
https://youtu.be/IpD4XgJ_Gf8

Muggy Morning Painting the Mayflower II



Muggy Morning Painting the Mayflower II

The clouds were the highlight today - changing and moving quickly as if a shower could break out at any time.  With a rising tide, and bright backlighting, the Plymouth, MA waterfront was swimming in direct and reflected light.   From this angle along Water Street the Mayflower II masts were visible over the pier and were echoed in the water.

There were dozens of onlookers and many international visitors strolling the waterfront.   Interest in art is universal even if there is a language barrier.   A smile and a nod - translation? - I see what you are doing and I like it!


Muggy Morning at Mayflower II

Two hours of high humidity and I was looking forward to my vehicle's AC.  Shortly before I finished, one very nice gentleman shot the following video of my paint-out.


Camp Hill Plein Air Festival Quick Paint

The most challenging and exciting event at the Camp Hill Plein Air Festival was the "Quick Paint" event.   Participants stood in line at Willow Park to have their substrates stamped between 9 and 10 AM.   At 10:00 AM, each painter commenced with their creation somewhere within a prescribed Camp Hill  geographic area. 

The first thing I did was to pop the stamped painting board into a one inch black frame that I had covered with blue masking tape.   I didn't want my thick juicy paint getting smeared during the framing, so I did an inner frame before starting to apply color.

I chose a beautiful old brick home with a glass conservatory that was located a couple of blocks up from Willow Park.  I stood across the street so that I would have a nice long view and be able to include enough surrounding elements.  The first step was a careful (relatively tiny) drawing in paint of the home.     I spent the largest percentage of time on its interesting rooflines and the glass conservatory.   As the center of interest, I wanted it to be realistic and accurate.  Each panel of conservatory glass was reflecting something different and I improvised a bit to balance other color masses.  

Quick Paint Entry Ready for Judging

Once I had the home done, I picked up my palette knife and buttered on my cool transparent darks letting the streaky colors mix on the surface.     The skies were partly cloudy and the trees, shrubs and lawn were spring green to the max!     Again I scooped the color with the palette knife and spread it onto the surface in wide thick strokes.    When the 11:45 alarm sounded, I still hadn't applied the final color on the home or the foreground shrubbery. (I didn't mention yet that I had set alarms on my phone for 10:00 AM (start), 11:00 AM (halfway point), 11:45 (finish-up), 12:00 Noon (frame).) With 15 minutes to go, a slight sensation of panic gripped me, which is really funny when I think about it now.  My husband took some videos of the progress of this painting, so I have strung them together in the following movie.

https://youtu.be/6LkXEanjwd0

At noon, I took the painting off the easel and peeled the blue masking tape off the inner frame.   This ensemble was then inserted into the wider outer frame. 
Done!... with ten minutes to spare.   I grabbed my easel and painting and headed down to the park, setting it up amid an array of fabulous quick paint works.   It was truly amazing to see the quality and freshness of works that were done in a mere 120 minutes.

This was undoubtedly the most fun I have ever had painting under a deadline.

Vieques - Isabel II Mayor's Office from Rivera Plaza

Mayor's Office - Stage One

Our painting location on this day was in the middle of the town square in Isabel II, Vieques, Puerto Rico.   It was sunny and 82 degrees with a gentle breeze.   Ahhh, yes!   The big old trees in the plaza cast pretty blue shadows on the pinkish concrete pathways.   Most of the buildings were stucco in pastel colors and just as pretty as could be.   This trip truly was a dream come true.



Mayor's Office - Stage Two

The bright warm colors in the buildings and street were screaming to be painted thickly.  Why don't we have pastel colored buildings at home?  We seem to gravitate to white, grey, black, just like our winters!   So despite a gnawing worry about transporting a thick, wet painting on a plane back to New England, I buttered on the thick color with wild abandon!



Mayor's Office - Isabel II, Vieques, PR

There was a moderate amount of activity until mid-afternoon when school let out.   At that point lots of (middle-school?) students were relaxing on the steps and grass, many of whom, I discovered were waiting for their rides.      I was sorry that I hadn't brushed up on my Spanish before this trip.  Several students stopped and asked questions; I couldn't understand them and they didn't speak English.  One very animated young student marched over to another group of girls and came back with another friend, bilingual, who became our translator.

So sweet and curious...art is a universal language, as we still engaged with less dependence on words.

Here is a 40 second look at the spot from where I painted.

http://youtu.be/Qv5Jlc6oEeQ


Vieques Beachchair Under Palm

Stage One

Yes that beach chair was mine.  We had just discovered a sandy path to the shore in the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.   At the end of the road was a deserted beach and a covered gazebo (good for sheltering during the two passing tropical showers we had).   The conditions weren't as perfect as the first two Vieques paint-outs, but I'll take a quick shot of wind and rain with 82 degrees over anything New England has dished out in the past six months!


Downpour Coming

In this painting the sun and southeast facing beach were to my right which made for better color matching.   I'm sure that's why there is more pumped up color.  

Beach Chair Under the Palm

At the risk of you thinking I'm trying to rub it in that I'm here painting in paradise while you were weathering a brutally cold March, here is a very short video of the location of this paint-out.

http://youtu.be/II8BuypgpZU

In Good Hands

In Good Hands

I loved this family photograph from Christmas so I decided to paint it.   It was a candid shot of my Grand-nephew being held by his Dad while they opened his Christmas gift bag.   Baby was more interested in watching all the activity in the room while chomping on his chubby little fist.    He is so cute and I am not just saying it!  

Sometimes a painting flows and this was one of them.   Although it was done from a photograph instead of "from life"  the structural likenesses were important.   I tried to approach the sketch in exactly the same way as I would if I had the figures physically present.    I think I got off to a good start by establishing a strong geometric rendering which yielded the correct perspectives.

If you like the painting, you can help my "like" count by clicking this link.

To see a video of intermittent stages of this painting's development, you can go to the blog directly and click on the video link.  It's less than five minutes long.

You can also watch via YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_AP_3k1_o4

Route 3 from Jones Riverbank

Jones River Overpass Stage One

Route 3 is the primary North/South highway that connects Boston and Cape Cod.   When it passes through Kingston, it is actually quite close to the ocean at the outlet of Jones River.   I set up to paint adjacent to the Jones River at a point where the river was flowing toward me, passing under a railroad bridge and winding around a marshy wetland.  The down river view (and the view I eventually painted), passed under a tall Route 3 highway overpass.    Although the spot looked picturesque from all angles, the stunning visual was somewhat contradicted by a constant rumbling of highway traffic, local roadway traffic and an occasional commuter rail.      Once I got into the painting though I hardly noticed anything except my scene.



Jones River Overpass Stage Two

The painting panel was 16 x 20", larger that my usual and preferred 12 x 16".   I found myself including more elements and a larger span of what was a complex scene because of the larger canvas.   More time was needed to rough in the drawing, but once I had the bridge lines in, it was easier to size out the rest of the scene using them for reference. 

As always, things change too quickly when painting en plein air!  Jones River is a tidal river which means its level corresponds to the ocean tides not far downstream.   As the painting progressed the water got lower and lower (and it got buggier and buggier!).   I got a photo reference that matched my painting at this point (and water level) so that I could complete it back in the studio.


Jones River Overpass

The most difficult part of this painting was matching the variety of greens.   There was a distant grove of trees visible just under the overpass and it required a couple of tries before getting a match.   I literally held the loaded brush up next to the element and compare the color.   This direct visual is usually fail-proof, and like most occasions when I use it, I found that the color I mixed was too vivid.   I dulled down the green of these distant trees mixing in a small amount of sky color, which gave it the milky appearance of distant trees.

The overpass and its column was the strongest visual element, but the entire scene beneath the highway that was pristine.   I decided to add a school bus atop the roadway, but changed it to an 18 wheeler, since they seemed to be the more predominant vehicle.    I'm not crazy about this one but I don't quite know why.    

Check out this video if you'd like to see where I was standing.   If you are looking at this blog in email, you may not be able to play it.   It's playable from the actual blog.   I'm thinking that the video it is more exciting than the painting... :)

Beached Boats

The red star on the map to the left is the location where I painted on this day.   This is a peninsula that is situated between Duxbury Bay and Kingston Bay.   I found a fantastic spot at the end of Samoset Road.   There even was a railing at the edge of a grassy access to which I could tie my easel.    The weather was glorious so I shot a video of it so you can get the sense of the bright, windy day at this shoreline.  Okay, and the bagpipes weren't there but I swear the beach (strand) views up in Donegal were quite similar. :)

I've painted water and dunes before and I'll paint them again because they are never the same.   For this painting, I used my palette knife almost exclusively.    I squirted out a generous pile of my fast-drying titanium white and mixed in Prussian blue.   This blue gives a nice fair weather sky color.   I didn't completely blend on the palette, but rather let some of the streaks of white and blue spread out as they were applied onto the canvas with the knife.   The effect came out like high, wispy fair weather clouds.   Next was the greenish blue sea color which was made from white, viridian and Prussian blue.   The mid distance ocean color had yellow from the shallow sandy bars just beneath.   As the tide hit its lowest point, the small boats that were moored just offshore, were now sitting directly on the sand, each leaning to one side.   

The beach grasses were all sorts of greens so I began with the far left, mixing in extra blue and cool naples yellow to help it sit back.  As the grasses and greenery got closer, I mixed in warmer yellows, golds and reds.   Some beach roses were to my immediate left and they cast interesting and deeper shadows on the sand than most of the thin grasses.    I decided on placing a sailboat and a small motorized boat next to each other.   They were sitting directly on the sand so they were leaning to one side.

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Sunny Cold Brant Rock

Sunny, Cold Brant Rock April - Stage One

It looked like April with a high midday sun, and a greenish turquoise ocean color.   It just didn't feel like April.   I set up overlooking the Brant Rock in Marshfield, Massachusetts.  The wind was whipping from the North, so I set up with the car to my left, which helped block the worst of it.  The strong April sun was on my back and gradually the cold was less noticeable.    The water was a beautiful combination of colors.   Ultramarine blue at the horizon lightening to a turquoise green at the mid range to a more cobalt blue (reflective of sky) in the foreground.



Sunny, Cold Brant Rock April

Part of designing a painting with continuous movement of things like waves means observing the patterns of the breakers and deciding on a pleasing (varied) placement of them.   There was a constant straight breaker coming out from the Brant Rock formation itself.  Behind the smooth reddish boulder in the middle, sea spray was shooting up.  In the forground uniform breakers approached the shore.   These were the three wave patterns I would include.   And of course, gulls galore.   They seemed to just float up, scarcely pumping their wings, and  I included plenty of them to be true to the scene
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Freezing Ocean Overlook

Brant Rock Overlook - Stage One

What was that I was saying in a recent post about not feeling cold and dressing properly for the weather?    I was dressed in my long down coat and had thermals on, but the wind was the problem in making this paint-out a frigid experience.   I positioned my easel so that the car blocked the wind, but either the wind shifted or the temperatures dropped, because I slowly got colder and colder, especially my painting hand

Brant Rock Overlook - Stage Two

I like this one because of the color of the ocean....cold winter blue...again the graying down of the blue with transparent brown oxide and titanium buff.   The sun was to the right of the painting and the water was lighter toward that direction.  You may notice the gradation from dark ocean blue on the left, to lighter ocean blue on the right.

Brant Rock Overlook - Stage Three

The larger waves were fairly uniform as they approached the rocky shoals at Brant Rock near the Fairview Inn.   I was standing about fifty feet above the water looking down past the boulder retaining wall down to the natural rocks and sand.   The tide was receding so at the start only the tops of the largest rocks were visible in the water.   By the time I packed up, the entire area below was a rocky field of brown and black.  I did stick with the rock formations visible at the outset.

I used my palette knife to apply thick swirls of foam at the shore and on the breakers further out.   I will think "cold" whenever I see this one.

Below is a short clip of where I was.

Jetty from Beach

Late Autumn at the Beach

I did break out my long down coat for today's paint-out.     If I had been walking, I wouldn't have needed it because the temperatures were in the low forties, but I've learned that being stationary while painting can feel chilly, especially with a brisk wind off the water.    I hardly ever stay inside because it's cold, I just dress for it, and these pictures are proof it was worth it!

Only a handful of people were present on Burke's Beach enjoying the dazzling November sunshine.

Matching Winter Ocean Blue

I looked at the water and I saw brilliant blue.   I mixed up a beautiful brilliant blue that I thought would be close in color.   Wrong!   I have used the wrong color so many times in the past that I know that the best way to check it is to scrape up the mixture and hold it up in full light to the subject being matched.   It is amazing how gray the water was, far from the intensity of blue out of the tube.   I used some transparent oxide brown and titanium buff to bring the intense blue down and the value up.

Jetty from Beach Stage Two

Speaking of Titanium Buff, have I mentioned that I love this color for the beach?   It looks beautiful when wisps of other colors are swirled into it.   I used it for the sunlit planes of the rocks as well.

The low angle of the winter sun caused a white-out on the ocean horizon.   I mixed titanium white with a tinge of cad red light.


As I started to wrap up, I inserted the Emily Rose Lobster boat as it entered the mouth of the river.

Finally, check out this 360 degree view of the gorgeous spot where I was standing, none other than stunning Green Harbor, Massachusetts.