Chic's Beach Near Lesner Bridge

Chic's Beach. That day Zushi and I walked all the way down to the bridge where I sat and painted while he explored. After a while, a group of students came by and I said, "If you see a big dog, he's friendly." They said, "We already met him." and there he came rounding the corner at his best galump "Look Ma! I found a whole buncha new friends!"

We walked on home and the boy was so tired that day. But we were both happy.

Owl's Head Light

2010. Good weather. I painted in class and out of class. The week I stayed in Owl's Head I decided it was time that I saw their light house. It was within walking distance. Up the 51 steps with the other tourists and down again, taking pictures. Then I sat on the fence and painted this.

Original is at Skipjackmarinegallery.com. About 6 by 10 inches. Giclees available.

For the Love of Maine

watercolor on paper
approx. 5 x 7 in.
color and composition study
Looking towards Breakwater from John's

Very Cool Bridge

about 5 x 7 in.
plein air
Chic's Beach
price: $200

note: painted on one of my breakfast walks, seated on a sand shelf facing West. late August 2009

Somewhere Downeast

watercolor on paper
approx. 7 x 8 in

SOLD
location: private collection, sold from Skipjack Nautical Wares and Marine Gallery
One High Street
Olde Towne Portsmouth, where you can see many of these nautical paintings and more.

studio frame with 8 ply mat
giclee available
no note cards

subject: view from the crib bridge at Bailey Island, Maine.
note: took a photograph in 2007, painted this scene later that year. It was named Somewhere Near Bath. It was framed and hanging above my table in my studio. Once while I was waiting for paint to dry I did a painting of my painting. I like it better than the original, colors are vibrant, realism gave way to design.

Making Friends with Gray

Maine: Is 09 still on track to become the coldest wettest summer on record? Painters go up to Maine in summer because the light is so wonderful-- sunlight. We had two good mornings of sun, and 8 days of rain or fog. David shows us how to make luminous grays. We work on color for 2 weeks. He teaches us to do thumbnails, helping us to edit and see the big picture.

We none of us have any gray tubes of paint as far as I know. We mix our own. I have forgotten my gray chart, so I start another one adding some of my own favorites using the more opaque Holbeins. They find their way into my sketches. Which gray? They are not all the same. It matters which colors you use together. The wet is challenging but David is never daunted. He just gets on with it. One tries not to listen to the whiners.

As quaint and picturesque as Maine is, I did not come up here for the maple syrup or even for the lobstah. I am looking for colors to arrange on a piece of paper and relate to each other. Am I in first grade yet?

I have gained confidence and I share some of my gray mixtures with other students. They seem to like my work though it looks to elementary to me. I like my sketches better than previous years and I am less frustrated. Only one day I hated the painting I was working on and others liked it. Mainly I do not like mauve and I keep needing it in my gray paintings.

Fort Walton Beach

Painted a sketch of this while on the beach with my sister. I took photos and painted it again in the studio.  I need to frame this.  I think this is the almost finished photo.  It is about 9 by 12 inches, I think.  I had it gicleed.