"Incoming Tide" watercolor & ink 9 x 9

One of my favorite spots on Monhegan Island is Christmas Cove.  It is on the southern tip of the island.  You can walk past Lobster Cove, where the trail then begins to ascend along the coast.  Rather than heading up the cliff on the way to Gull and Burnt Rocks, I head away from the trail and sit out on the rocks overlooking Christmas Cove.  There is a spot where the tide comes in around both sides of a rock formation, creating a tide pool.  I love to sit in this space.  The island is behind me.  In front is only these rocks, the waves, and the sea.  I love sitting in this spot, all senses activated, surrounded by salt, the sea, and my thoughts.  
One year, as I sat and painted, two young-ish (younger than I but not young young) men walked past me to the tide pool and jumped in to swim.  One of them was obviously familiar with the spot, and had done it before.  It is a very active pool, with waves coming in from both sides, but if you catch it right, I supposed on an incoming tide so the water is slightly warmed by the recently exposed rocks, it would be refreshing.  The pool has rocks on its south side which keep the incoming tide at bay for a while.  These rocks always remind me of a book I loved as a child called "Down and Away Below" about a young boy who saved his South Pacific village when the rocks providing a barrier for their lagoon from predatory fish  broke away. 
So, this is my painting for the Girls Just Wanna Paint July theme of "anxiety".  I have not been able to visit my favorite spot on the island since 2016.  Last summer I was diagnosed with bone on bone knee arthritis and walking was very hard, let alone climbing out onto the rocks.  I could hear the wave crashing down there, and longed to sit and watch.  This summer, I have a new knee in training.  I was determined to make the walk out among my favorite rocks, and very anxious that my new knee wouldn't make the trek, or would make it and not want to climb back up the rocks and hill to the village and our rented home.  All worked out, I sat in my favorite spot, absorbed the atmosphere... and plan to get there again this week before we go.  

Day 296 "On the Rocks" ink & watercolor 4 x 9

 Today I tested my knew knee by walking down to the Southern tip of the island, to one of my favorite spots past Lobster Cove.  You can climb out onto the rocks here, leaving all traces of people and green behind you, and become absorbed in the waves, rocks, birds, sounds, and salt.  I love it, have not been able to visit since the summer of 2016, and made the trek down and back today.  It was a joy!!  I'm a bit rusty painting the rocks, but here is today's sketch and the contour drawing I completed while sitting in my favorite spot.

This is my two hundred ninety-sixth daily drawing.  Thank you for joining me in this exercise each day.  

Monhegan Sketchbook "Christmas Cove"

Every year when I visit Monhegan, I spend some time down on the southern end of the island sitting on the rocks, surrounded by the sound of waves, wind, birds.  There is a peace and solitude to the spot I visit every year.  I went later in the day than usual, sat with my sketchbook and handed myself over to the rhythm.  
On the way back up the hill I built a cairn with a pair of island friends in mind.  I pray they can find their way back.

Island Retreat, 12 x 9, oil

For many years, I have been blessed to spend time painting on the coast of Maine. This is a study from South Bristol.  This tiny island had a wooden causeway to the mainland near my location, perhaps 50 yds long. While I was painting, someone wheeled a garden cart full of groceries across the little bridge; and later, a lawnmower.  Lawnmower?  From my vantage point, nail scissors could have done the trick.  Lovely day. I liked thinking how my life might change if I had a wooden footbridge rather than a driveway.

Come check out Island Retreat the North River Arts Society's Holiday sale this weekend. Saturday and Sunday 10 - 4; more details here:

http://www.northriverarts.org/events.html