Day 308 "Heading Out" 5 x 7 ink & pencils

Each summer, we spend time in Maine.  There are many opportunities to view these picturesque, hard-working boats.  This one is no exception.  I am drawn to the cool exterior, surrounded by sky and water, contrasting with the warm interior, shielded from the sky.  This is my three hundred eighth daily drawing.  Thank you for your continued interest.

"Pulling Traps" 4 x 5 ink and pencil

The fishing and lobster boats of Maine are fascinating angular shapes against the backdrop of water and sky.  I like zooming in on them where they create abstract shapes and rooms in the ocean.  The shadow shapes are strong and provide a respite from the sun.  It is hard, hard work.... and so beautiful from my point of view.
Pulling Traps is my 61st daily drawing.  As always, thank you for looking at the world from my vantage.

"Harbor Evening" 6 x 9 mixed

There is a special, quiet time by Monhegan's harbor as the sun sinks below Manana.  Birds start settling down, people drift back to their houses, and the dark begins to descend quickly.  It's a lovely time of day, and as I climb back up to the house we rent, the last glimpse of light disappears and the sky glows.  Ahhhh.  
This is my fiftieth daily drawing.  Thank you for looking.

"New Harbor" pen & ink 9 x 6 #Inktober 6

This is a drawing of a subset of the activity in busy and beautiful New Harbor, ME.  Each summer, we catch the ferry to Monhegan from this beautiful space.  Prior to our traveling over to Monhegan, I spent years visiting the New Harbor area.  As a result, I have photos of this harbor from about thirty-five years of visiting. This is my 6th drawing for the Inktober challenge.
As always, thanks for looking.

Monhegan Sketchbook and Coloring Page

 One of the luxuries of my summer break from school is the opportunity to clean up and clean out.  I spent a lot of time today digging into boxes and bags and corners, sorting and sifting.  Today, as I rearranged shelving in my studio, I found a sketch book I hadn't opened since last year.

The first is a sketch looking up along the rocks near Monhegan's Dead Man's Cove, one of my favorite places to sit.  There is a small rocky protrusion called "Nigh Duck" close by, covered with gulls who yack and chatter.  I love their sounds across the water. 

The second drawing is a coloring page I created for the Monhegan 400th celebration at the request of Moe Oberman, who was coordinating and collecting "coloring book" pages as part of the celebration.  

Today was a great day, hot as blazes outside, but peaceful inside.. music, cats, progress, organization.

Thanks for looking.

"After the Hike" pen & ink 6 x 9

Today's sketch is another from my Monhegan files.  This couple were sitting on the dock one afternoon.  I loved their pose, she leaning on his leg as she looked out over the harbor; he providing her some support while he unlaced his shoe, removed his sock and stretched his toes in the sun.  They look so comfortable, so familiar, so different in their outlooks and yet as one.  I'll add some color tomorrow, and see where it goes.

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.

"Setting Out" oil 6 x 6

My latest in a series of working boat paintings. Sun, salt, sea.  I love the lines, angles, and power of these purposeful workhorses. Each of these boats is a minute dot on the ocean surface, and lobstering is a physical and dangerous occupation.  I have been closely cropping the boats to convey their mass, their strength, their volume.   These boats are beautiful. 

Spring is finally arriving here on the east coast and I am heading back to the water to paint.

As always, thanks for looking.

"Horizon" 6 x 6 oil

Horizon  6 x 6 oil original oil painting

This is my third in a series of working boat paintings. "Horizon" was pulling traps off the Pemaquid Point in Maine. I am enjoying painting these small, closely cropped, semi-abstract images.  When I look at the boats, I can hear the intermittent start-stop-start as they move from trap to trap, and can hear the gulls following, smell the salt, feel the air, and the sun.  The small format is working very well for me this busy autumn.  More to come.   

Thanks for looking.

"Good Day at the Office" 6 x 6 oil

 

My second in a series of fishing boats from this summer.  This is the "Susan A",  a work horse with salmon pink trim - quite a contrast.  This happened to be a crisp, dry day with calm seas and light breezes, a good day on the water, though I assume the catch is the true measure of what makes a "good day".

Thanks for looking.

 

"Two Brothers" original oil painting 6 x 6

My entry for June's Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge.  The theme was "July". As a middle-school math teacher, I consider July true summer.  School is behind me for the year, and on the near horizon for next year.  Each summer we spend some time in Maine, where crystal air and lobster boats are emblematic of July.  Thanks for looking.

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.