New Year's Swim, oil on linen, 24 x 36
January sun on the sand does little to warm the daring youths on Good Harbor Beach. Nevertheless, they take their time enjoying their burning skin and lungs heated by fast hearts. You can see the initial sketch on my facebook page.
Parsons Beach, 28x42, oil on linen,
On a windy, midsummer day at the mouth of the Mousam River, the locals escape to Parsons Beach, Maine. Some have first stopped at Bennett's Store to fill their coolers with sandwiches, beer, and cookies. Others come to fish on the shifting banks of the river, or jump into the rippling current with their tube or boogie board. The umbrellas are dug in deep fighting the wind and shading the sun. They may not realize that these are unforgettable days.
This large work evolved over months. It started with sketches and studies from various perspectives, settling on this angle with the sun high and slightly behind. A thin cloud dims the light on the distant point of land and trees, making it recede further and at the same time acting as a foil for the flat, hazy surrounding colors.
Silver Dog, 12 x 16, oil on linen
What heaven is this, a boy with his red shovel and dog? A moment at Cape Hedge Beach, done plein air. Silver Dog, 12 x 16, oil on linen
Fishing at Pebble, 7.5 x 11, oil on paper
Cape Hedge, 7.5 x 11, oil on paper
Carole, 7.5 x 11, oil on paper
Here are a few more oils on paper.
Cape Hedge Swimming, 7.5 x 11, watercolor
Boats, 7.5 x 11, watercolor
Cape Hedge Walk, 11 x 15, watercolor
Three Chairs, 11 x 15, watercolor
Cape Hedge, 11 x 15, watercolor
Cape Hedge beach has a sandy cove mixed with rock ledge at its southern end.
Pebble Beach Dream, 22 x 40, oil on linen
One end of Pebble Beach is sand, the other popples, stones rounded smooth by the ocean's incessant tumbling, the sound of bowling balls in the distance. This can create Rip Van Winkle moments while lying on the sand, where you forget where you are or how long you've been there.
Cape Hedge September, 16 x 16, oil
September colors are so bright and clear, and the water is still warm. Nothing like spending a day in paradise and painting the natives.
The Next Wave, 24 x 34, oil
A storm front is moving through this morning. Where is my next step, my next cup of coffee, my next wave? Who will throw my ball?
This piece took time to evolve. This is the challenge of a gray day with muted colors but lit by broken pieces of sunlight. The grays (not really gray, btw) provide the backdrop for the salient colors to glow.
Saranac River, 7 x 10.5, gouache
Every Memorial Day we open up camp on our island in the Saranac River, in the Adirondack mountains. It started wet on Friday, but Sunday cleared up. Between watching the kids swim and a Hairy Woodpecker feeding its young in a tall birch, I did some gouache sketches. Gouache is like watercolor but more opaque, if you want it to be.
Meera and Evy, gouache
The swim hole is a rocky point on the island facing southwest. The benches made from fallen trees, bark stripped, with a backdrop of cedars on the water's edge, offer a warm seat in the Spring sun.
Cormorants, 8 x 10, oil paper
I'm continuing to experiment with the oil paper, doing a series of cormorants.
Afternoon, 28 x 42, oil
A late summer afternoon. The beach people are each in their own shared worlds, glimpsing neighbors and wondering, or completely engaged in the present with no thoughts at all. There are still a few hours left before the rest of the world begins to creep back in with the tide, lifting them back home.
After the sanding stage (below), I built up the layers of water surfaces, letting underpainting through for optical mixing. Figures were added to round out narratives and composition. Colors were done and redone to adjust hue, value, shape, depth. This piece was challenging. Some are harder than others to develop, to get them to the point where they begin to tell me what they want.
Two Skimboards, 8 x 10, oil on paper
The last couple of weeks I've been (among other things) experimenting with Arches new "Oil Paper". It's like watercolor paper (thick and heavy) but is designed for oil paint, and there's no prep (gesso) required... I love it. The paper soaks up a lot of pigment so the colors are really rich and deep. I've done 5 little sketches so far.
Cooling Off, 8 x 10, oil on paper
Kayak, 8 x 10, oil on paper
Gull, 8 x 10, oil on paper
Two Labs, 8 x 10, oil on paper
Noodle, 40 x 40, oil
Since the last version, the sand has been layered, and a little damp at the water's edge. Many adjustments have been made to figures: colors, highlights, shadows, consistencies. Two figures (heads) have been added to the top left, and a signature at the bottom right.
Tapestry – 40 x 40 – oil
Tapestry is finished for this weekend's Studio Tour, October 12, 13 and 14. Plan your tour now! Download the brochure and map of 23 artist studios at http://capeannartisans.com/
Mid-July – 20 x 20 – oil
Ah, the heat of July. There's only one place to be.
Sandbar (2013) – oil on linen – 24 x 36
The sand moves every day, like the weather, presenting a new landscape. It can never be replicated.
august umbrella (2013) – oil on linen – 16 x 16
A quiet day in August, offering a light breeze off the water. The sun is a little lower now.
Or resurrection. Warm, humid air from the South. It was done just before the late afternoon rain.
Dog Day - 40 x 40 - oil on linen
After the Summer ban, it's mid-September and the dogs return to Good Harbor, free and unleashed. Masters call but are unheard, unseen, unlimited space. A perfect moment.
Enlightenment - 24 x 36 - oil on linen
Surfing on Cape Ann (Gloucester & Rockport) has exploded over the last couple of years. New forms are evolving in the sea.