“Quiet morning at the dock” 24 x
36 oil on linen
We visit Maine each summer because of its
beauty and to escape the heat of the south!
I spend time checking out and painting old weathered docks and buildings
in parts of Maine, like Old Port….a section of Portland, Me. The coast is a big attraction to me for
subjects to paint. If not for the
winters, we would probably be there year round.
The inspiration for this “Untitled Dock
Painting” was not just one thing in particular.
It was several things. I was trying
to capture that sort of grey day atmospheric feel, (most of my landscapes are
sunny day paintings). The variety of
textures on the dock…from the smooth, large and small, buoys hanging on the
rail of the weathered dock and the suggested reflection opportunities in the
water. I also liked, in this particular
case, the seeming lack of life presence…no birds, human or other! That is not usually the case….I certainly
would not want to paint this scenario each time. But, in this case it was a nice change of
pace for me and a nice challenge! The
viewer could certainly insert their own narrative to any meaning this painting
might have!
“Ignore her, maybe she’ll go
away”, 24x36, oil
I spent an enjoyable cold morning at Sandy
Acres Ranch recently doing a mini workshop with the Peace River Painters. We were not painting the animals on this
particular day…..but, I got a ton of great photo reference of the corralled
farm animals! This goat seemed to be
running the show/showing off, etc. I was
struck by the expression on the donkey’s faces…..as if they were thinking to
themselves, “stop it”….trying to ignore her by not looking directly at
her. That probably was not it at all….
but, it was the narrative I went with!
“Fog
Rolling in on the Cliff Walk”, 16x20, oil on linen
This is a common scene on the coast of
Maine….fog rolling into rocky cliffs or beaches! This is another painting from a favorite spot
I visit each summer….Fort Williams, near the light house!
“The
Garden Groomers”, 18x24, oil on linen
This
composition is loosely based on a bed and breakfast we stayed in a few years
back. We were there for a class reunion
in my home town. It wasn’t a painting
trip, but, I took photo reference around the property and ended up doing a
couple of paintings. The chickens and
rooster are added….I wasn’t sure whether or not that would work! It was an excuse to introduce a splash of
color to all that green vegetation! The
title was a suggestion from a friend on face book that I was given permission
to use….and, I like it a lot! I would
never have thought of that!
“View from the Cliff Walk” 15x26
oil on linen
This is a studio painting inspired by a
location study of a place I particularly like to visit and paint each summer
in Maine. I actually painted this a couple of years ago and recently reworked an touched it up a bit. Fort Williams in Cape
Elizabeth near South Portland has a wealth of interesting coastal material to
paint. It keeps me coming back each
year….and, each year it is the same…. but, somehow different. This view is high up on the Cliff overlooking
the cold Atlantic! I have walked this
many times…and, to my mind, this speaks volumes about the rocky coastal terrain
that is so much fun to try and interpret in paint!
I will try to do better about posting on this blog.....I get busy and forget sometimes....hope you forgive me.....and thanks again for listening to my Ramblings!
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