Yesterday I perched in one of my favorite spots along the rocks above Swim Beach here on Monhegan. There's a great space, nestled in the rocks with just the right surfaces for sitting, leaning, and laying out a small watercolor setup. I always wanted a window seat in my bedroom as a girl; this has a lot of those same qualities; comfy, snug, good light, a view, and just remote enough to know what's happening nearby without being in the midst of it.
And, I watched a gull through its entire "I snagged a crab, and this is how I eat it" routine; a few jab it-drop it-grab it-repeat cycles until the crab stopped wiggling; devour the inside; then eat the shell and claws in small chunks by crunching them up and swallowing them. So interesting. I really thought the gull would eat the tender innards. (Definitely the first time I have used the word "innards" in a blog post; can't promise it will be the last).
I added a couple of photos here of my sketch without watercolor and the finished piece with the subject in the distance.
Another great afternoon. Thanks for looking.
Next in my series of watercolor sketches for the new year. We are lucky to be able to spend two weeks on Monhegan Island each summer. Oddly, we rent a house for a week, head back home for 3 weeks, then back to Monhegan to a different house for another week. Just played out that way over the years. We enjoy the variety.
So, the path we take down to the village during our first week has this lovely long view.. if you see it, and stop in just the right spot, neither 2 feet left nor right will do.
As January begins gray, I'm enjoying revisiting the sunny days of summer.
Thanks for looking.
We're back on Monhegan! A friend is here with her partner and their two moms, both in their 80's. Our friend rented a golf cart to aid with the moms' mobility on the island, and I had the pleasure of painting with them up on Lighthouse Hill yesterday. I need to do a little tweaking, then will post that painting later this week. Today it has gone from gray to drizzle, to SIDEWAYS DOWNPOUR, and now maybe to some clearing. I have been working in my sketchbook, using watercolor and/or watercolor pencils. Here are some recent images.
As always, thanks for looking. I love your comments, too.
Monhegan is gray this week. Gray, foggy, occasional drizzle, yellow fog, blue fog, green fog, thin fog, thick fog... interesting. It feels like a good week to read, hunker under a blanket, play games, drink tea, chat with friends, sketch ... but it's a great week to paint! Painted on Fish Beach today, looking at the foggy Monhegan "skyline" across the beach. Here's a few images of the painting. My plan was to block in a foggy mass for the distant buildings including the iconic Island Inn with its cupola. I like painting, holding a brush filled with paint against the subject to match color and value. I massed in about 5 shapes of flat color to start. The two photos below were taken at different stages; you can see how much the fog lifted. Lots more detail became available in the distant buildings.
When painting a moving target, such as sun and shadows, fog, clouds, waves, anything that is dynamic rather than static - you need to decide how much you will be willing to change from your original plan. My default mode, today being no different, is to stick with the starting plan. That's not a rule. It's a suggestion. Is changing the plan based on changing conditions going to improve your painting? If so, feel free. Make your choice with intentionality.
In the case of "Fogged Inn", I kept the fog. I was intrigued by the foggy silhouette. The painting is almost finished, but the afternoon weather played out as FOG, fog, cloudy & gray, fog, sprinkle, RAIN! I packed up at RAIN... as usual, I'll take a look at the painting over the next few hours and make a few adjustments. I plan to do a little bit more modelling in the foggy distance.
Thanks for looking! Please consider leaving me a comment. I enjoy reading your thoughts.
And, I watched a gull through its entire "I snagged a crab, and this is how I eat it" routine; a few jab it-drop it-grab it-repeat cycles until the crab stopped wiggling; devour the inside; then eat the shell and claws in small chunks by crunching them up and swallowing them. So interesting. I really thought the gull would eat the tender innards. (Definitely the first time I have used the word "innards" in a blog post; can't promise it will be the last). 
