Day 282 "Humarock" pen&ink 8 x 9 - deserted beach, and a little history

If you walk our local beach, you may find this view familiar.  Our local beach is separated from the mainland by the South River which you can see below in the map.  The South River joins the North River and the ocean in a very turbulent mash of currents and tides.  A little history:  The Portland Gale of 1989 shifted the mouth of the North River, separating Humarock and Scituate's "Fourth Cliff" from the rest of Scituate, and eventually the mouth of the South River moved there as well.  This drawing is from the location of the "old mouth" of the South River, now beach.  You can see the old and new below, a familiar contour to those familiar with the local landscape.  The seawall and beachside homes come to an end at the old mouth.  I wonder if someday the old mouth will open again to the sea.  

  This is my two hundred eighty-second daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.                                                               

"Bathing Beach" 8 x 6 oil

Summer is here!  Had a chance to spend a little time at the beach yesterday with a good pal.  Beautiful morning, great breeze, sparkling air and water.  A feast for all the senses!   Finding time to slow down. Wonderful.  Here's a little study I did a couple of years ago at a nearby beach.  I'm packing my rig for some beach studies coming up.   Stay tuned.
 

"Morning Harbor" watercolor & ink 4 x 6

My mornings have me swinging by Hingham's Harbor this week; so much going on while so peaceful.  The Lincoln Maritime Center in full swing, an exercise class rocking away on the lawn behind the Victory statue, kayakers, dog walkers, joggers, and bikes.. We are having a beautiful summer.

Thanks for looking.

"Swim Beach, Monhegan" watercolor 6 x 9

Sitting above Monhegan's "Swim Beach" yesterday.  It's more like a "Dare-yourself-to-jump-in-and-bear-it-for-as-long-as-you-can Beach" for those of us who aren't used to the Atlantic's frosty temps.. but there's lots of activity, kayaking, digging, painting, chatting, splashing about.  This great little family showed up on the beach yesterday; with two single-digit aged children in small kayaks, and mom, dad, and a pre-schooler in a small rowboat. The children had great, creative energy, and the parents obviously were giving them the room to explore and to approach everything with confidence and curiosity.  The older children were building a dam to block a tidal stream that was flowing down across the sand.   I hung out and observed for awhile, and did a few sketches.  Here's my take on Girls Just Wanna Paint's  June theme of "bathing beauties" with the children from this family sitting in front of a few other beach visitors.

Thanks for looking... more Monhegan images to follow.

Monhegan Sketchbook - 2013

It has been an interesting week here on Monhegan, many trips to the ferry to greet, or send off friends.  I carry my sketchbook around with me and have had some time to sit and work on a few ideas, some of which become resolved into paintings.  Here is a page of quick sketches, including my beloved Manana.

Today we were greeted by the sun, and even a sunset, though the fog hung in the harbor for most of the day, obscuring much of Manana from view.  Tonight, is Monhegan's 4th of July celebration, which involves random fireworks lit off on Fish Beach, and a treat tonight - semi-professional fireworks from the dock!  Exciting.  Mid-fireworks show we were treated to a rousing chorus of the "Star Spangled Banner" by a group of enthusiastic patriots down at the beach.  Happy Birthday, America.   We live in a wonderful country.

"Quiet Corner" oil 12 x 8

This is the main intersection at Humarock Beach, bustling in the summer with a cafe, ice cream window, and that great type of convenience store with the worn plank floors and beach necessities next to the day's newspapers, wine, and a packed bulletin board.  I like painting "through", and am drawn to architecture that offers that option, sometimes through windows, sometimes through a skyline, sometimes through a porch... double-decker porch?  Bonus.

A few weeks ago, I took my painting class down by the local beach.  We met in the parking lot, spoke briefly about a plan for the morning, but I could see they were itching to disperse, to discover their own subjects and to dig in.  Usually, we try to stay within a reasonable distance so that I can circulate and paint as well.  This was a not that kind of day. Have you ever dropped marbles onto the floor?

We met at the end of class for a critique.  Everyone had terrific results, and an interesting variety of subject matter. And, one of my thoughtful students surprised me with a bowl of chowder from the cafe, which hit the spot, as it was pretty blustery.  Nice day.

End of Day oil 9 x 12

We finalized our plans yesterday for this summer's sojourn to Monhegan Island.  It has become an end-of-year ritual; dates are fixed on the calendar; and more than a few minutes are spent anticipating the reunion with friends, games, conversation, sights, smells, salt, and long, joyful hours at my easel.

Here's a painting from one of my favorite spots on the island, late in the afternoon sitting out on the jetty as the shadows creep down Manana. When I see this painting, I hear gulls, laughter of children on the beach, the crunch of boats pulled up on the sand, and the lap, lapping of the waves on the rocks below me. 

May your new year be more joyful than not.   Happy 2012.

Cropping or "Breaking the Barrier"

 Yesterday's class was about cropping as part of your design.  Cropping your subject can bring energy, dynamism, excitement to the painting.  I advise my students, "Don't crop because something doesn't fit!".  Use cropping, as you apply yourself to all other aspects of your painting, with intentionality; with deliberation.  It's a matter of granularity.  The design needs to be as considered and deliberate as does each stroke of the brush.  


  Back to cropping. Many new painters are reluctant to cross over the edge of the painting surface.  That's natural; there is a boundary there.  It can be intimidating.  I use yesterday's exercise to crush that reluctance, by having the class fly across the edges with power and intention.  We discuss rookie ways of approaching the edge of a painting.  There's the tried and true squashed bottles,  flowers hunching down below the top edge, or bending and bowing to the sides of a painting, the disproportionate rooftops and miniscule chimneys.  It can become a bit like Marcel Marceau trapped in the invisible box of his own design.  Most of us have been there at one time or another.

Next, there are the "edge kissers".  Not deterred by the approaching border, these painters move fearlessly in that direction; then stop abruptly as the object touches the edge.  The subject matter may still be clinging to the picture space, but the viewer's eye finds this alluring tangent irresistible and follows it faithfully to the edge and BEYOND, (pardon the Buzz Lightyear reference),  leaving the painting with alacrity!

  Yesterday's exercise was to design a painting which boldly crosses at least 1/3 of a horizontal edge, and  1/3 of a vertical edge.  No bending, no squashing, no kissing.  Several students use view finders to examine the subject.  Some of those view finders had large openings, 4" x 5" for example, that didn't allow the artist to extend their arm far enough to really see the subject cropped.  Make sure your viewfinder has a small opening, and make sure the opening is adjustable.  Bring it close to your eye to see more; extend to see less.  If you are unaccustomed to cropping your subject, you need to see LESS than you are used to.


  The class drew thumbnail sketches; then I advised them to look at the sketches through the viewfinder.  We had a few "Ah, Hah!" moments, and the result was some great design; and everyone breaking the surface tension that the edges can create.  The result is that you bring the viewer into the middle of the painting.  It's fascinating to see the shapes in the middle of a garden; or porch, or bouquet of flowers, or to bring your viewer into the middle of a still life.  Dynamism.  Burst across the edges of your painting surface.  Break free; with intention. 

Next post:  Negative space.