"September Fog" oil 8 x 10

 

Today was fascinating, socked in with fog within 1/4 mile of the coast, and up the rivers, but sunny just farther from the water.  The fog was cool and beautiful, undulating between the houses, and alternating between heavy and blue gray, and a lighter yellow gray.  I parked in my car and painted from the seat, putting my canvas on a clipboard. I began the painting with a dark neutral and then adjusted within the dark by some details into the house.  As the afternoon progressed the light and fog shifted, thickened, thinned, and glowed.  I did not capture what I saw as well as I wished, and have work to do.  I did have a great chat with a couple who walked by, peered into the car and told me I was painting their house.  We had a nice talk.

Thanks for looking.  I'll post it again when I finish the painting. 

 

"Foggy Harbor" watercolor & ink 11 x 8

Our Girls Just Wanna Paint theme this month is fog... I am visiting Monhegan, where the fog has been undulating through the harbor all week, in and out and up and down, tinted yellow and green and purple, receding, advancing.  I tried to capture it as it obscured all but the edge of my beloved Manana. Didn't quite achieve the affect I was going for, but close.  Will experiment some more.

Thanks for looking.

"Quiet Harbor" oil 8 x 6

  
The day began here on Monhegan with fog, and gray... more gray than fog.  Fog is intriguing.  Today's fog held the promise of burn off, an occasional yellow cast, and the instinctive reach for sunglasses on top of my head.  

Today I painted, nestled into the rocks between the two beaches, just in front of the iconic Red House on Monhegan Harbor.  The fog was fascinating, undulating through the harbor from south to north.  Manana was in view, gone from view, back, gone.  I painted the average, this lovely fishing boat and dinghy in the foreground.  Have to admit, I chased the fog a bit, but am happy with the result.  Eventually, the sky cleared above, showing some blue, but it remained hazy in the harbor itself. 
I painted to the myriad of sounds in the harbor, teens snorkeling and fishing, families on Swim Beach, ferries arriving and departing, ducks swimming in formation after their mother, seagulls being seagulls.  What a great day. Thanks for looking.

"Fogged Inn" oil 6 x 8

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. 

Back to Monhegan Island

 I am back on Monhegan Island, Maine this week, excited about the opportunities to paint, especially to paint my favorite subject here, Manana.  So far, Manana hasn't shown itself through fog, except for a few minutes last night.... I'm looking at fog's colors, yellow, pink, orange, and recalling many trips to London where the weather soundbite was often, "It's brightening!".. it's brightening here, off and on. I'm enjoying the variety of views... boats appear and disappear, the ferry's rumble arrives way before the ferry shows itself just yards before the dock, seagull silhouettes along foggy roof lines... what an interesting week it will be.  Here are a few of my past paintings of Manana.  Posting new ones soon!