I added some color into my recent sketch of lunch up in East Boothbay Harbor at The Lobster Dock as I continue to explore this painting idea. Though our trips there were over a decade ago, I can remember exactly what the day felt like, the temperature, the still, humid air, the mixed scents of salt water and lobster boiling, and the shimmer over the harbor as we waited for lunch. I'm enjoying exploring the past, and have learned a few things for when I make this into an oil painting. I would make a few shifts so that the umbrella seems to be casting more of a shadow below it... to convey more of the need for the shelter it created.
I'll keep you posted as I continue to explore. Thanks for looking.
This is the first design sketch for a painting I'm contemplating. We spent a week in South Bristol, ME at a friend's family cottage for a few Junes in a row, sharing the house with friends and their son, a year+ younger than our daughter. It was a great house, on its own cove. We would kayak, play games, clam, cook, hunt fireflies, read books, build caves from blankets and furniture.... such a great place. And, we would spend one of our days in Boothbay Harbor, parking across the Harbor, lunching at the Lobster Dock, then walking across on the footbridge. I have always loved the photograph of our daughter I used as inspiration for this drawing. I'm going to work this into a painting. Details to follow.
Here are a few more sketches from my book this week. We've had some interesting weather, crystal clear days, some big fog pressing against the screens trying to find its way in, more fog that hangs in the harbor only while the sky above and beyond is blue. As always, it's a joy to be here. The tall sketch is the long view from the house we call ours for the week. We can see out beyond Manana to the mainland 12 miles away (many days, but not this one). Then I have the view over our friends Arline and Moe's house. We had dinner with them last night. What a hoot! They are fascinating, and have that way of making their guests feel fascinating, too. And, they are huge Fred Astaire fans, a passion we share.
Then I have a short view of Bill Cameron's memorial spot over looking the harbor from Horn Hill, and a couple of hikers awaiting the ferry back to Booth Bay Harbor. I love people watching on the island, and with a sketchbook in hand, you can ostensibly don your invisibility cloak (thank you, Harry Potter, and Happy Birthday today), and just watch and record. What a blast!
In honor of Arline and Moe, here's a link to Fred Astaire's "Drum Crazy" from the movie Easter Parade. If you have never seen it, it's 4 minutes of sheer joy. If you have seen it, it's 4 minutes of sheer joy relived.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTiEJqZMW7E
Thanks for looking, and as always, I love your comments.
