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.
Today I sat half way up Horn Hill on Monhegan and drew what was below and then what I could see in the woods to my left. Then I added another sketch of Manana from our deck to fill the page. I decided in the upper sketch only to add color to the parts of the view that nature made, not man made, making it an exercise in near and far greens in different combinations of blue/green and neutralizing reds and oranges.
You can see my drawing in progress below.
This is my two hundred ninety-fifth daily drawing. I am enjoying my travels around Monhegan these two weeks.
Thank you for your continued interest.
We walked down to the dockside coffee shop today, The Barnacle, to see off our friends' daughter and her fiance. There is a a lot of choreography to the arrival and departure of the ferries here; arrival of passengers and friends, pick up trucks backing onto the dock to transport luggage, hugs hello, hugs goodbye, occasional jumpers from the dock into the frigid harbor waters as a send off, riders tossing wildflowers into the harbor as they pull away as a sign they will return. It is fascinating. Before and between all of that, there is quiet time on the dock for fishing, or sitting with a sketchbook, or listening to the waves lapping. Today, these three generations were fishing on the dock together, comfortable. I grabbed a quick sketch.
This is my two hundred eighty-ninth daily drawing. Thank you for continuing to look. I appreciate your time.
Today's goal on Monhegan was to walk farther than yesterday, to find a spot among the rocks to settle in and draw. So, I walked down to "Swim Beach", interestingly named, because it is mostly too cold for swimming, found a way up onto the rocks and did some drawing. My physical therapist and I have been practicing stepping up with balance onto a surface about a foot off the ground. In fact, his parting words to me before vacation, after 30 of these step ups, were "Don't you think there are a LOT of rocks on Monhegan about 12 inches high?" Hmmm. Feeling listened to... So I drew for awhile, watched the visitors, then headed back to the local coffee shop for more sketching and people watching. A family had a couple of dogs with them, who mostly hung out under the table, although the spaniel was on alert every time the door opened.. never confrontational, just watching. You can see below how I began my drawing.
This is my two hundred eighty-seventh daily drawing submission. Thank you for looking.
We are back on Monhegan Island, where we spend a couple of weeks each summer. Doesn't matter the weather; it is just wonderful to be here with friends and family. This is an interesting year for me as I have a new knee. Although we rented a golf cart in case, I am determined to use the walking here up and down hills as part of my physical therapy. Last summer, my recently discovered arthritis prevented me from walking almost anywhere. So, each day, I am setting a goal for myself. It rained day 1, but slowed to a drizzle in the afternoon so we walked down the large hill on which our house resides, into the village to the coffee shop. It was the destination for a number of people. We grabbed one of the handful of tables, watched visitors, listened to chit chat, had coffee and hung out. What a treat! I made a couple of alterations to the original painting. You can see them below. I differentiated between the Mom and daughter (playing backgammon) in the foreground. In the original sketch, it was unclear what was happening in that human shape in the foreground. I darkened the hair on the gray-haired woman in the back, because I felt her head was grabbing the viewer's eye... and why? I added some warmth below the chins and necks of some of the people because it added depth, and I added a little indication of shadow here and there away from the light.
Then we walked back up the hill!!! Goal one achieved, and my leg felt tired but strong.
This is my two hundred eighty-sixth daily drawing. Thanks for your continued interest. You know I love your comments.
Each summer we spend a couple of weeks on Monhegan Island, Maine. It is small, and breathtakingly beautiful, twelve miles out into the Atlantic. There are no cars for visitors on the island, just a fistful of pickup trucks that arrive at the dock numerous times a day to meet incoming ferries. The dock is a spot of comings and goings, of exhuberant welcomes and warm goodbyes. One of my favorite spots.
This is my hundred thirty-ninth daily drawing. Again, thank you for your interest and your ideas.
As I walk along Monhegan's west side, I love looking through the wildflowers to a few of my favorite houses out to Manana. The view shifts every few feet, always fascinating; the light, the air, near and far greens; perhaps why it is one of my favorite places. My hundred twentieth drawing is one of those views, across a field of Queen Anne's lace.
Thank you for looking. I am so appreciative of the interest in my drawing explorations.
This lovely house overlooks Monhegan Harbor and Manana. You can see the harbor through its lower windows. On this day, the local resident was working in the studio. I like his silhouette against the beautiful beyond. This is an ink drawing, overlaid with gray marker, then watercolor pencils. I added some warmth to the indoor spaces.
This is my thirty-sixth daily drawing. Again, thanks for looking.
This lovely peek through the birches caught my eye one day on Monhegan Island, ME. Over to the left behind the shrubs, you can see a glimpse of my beloved Manana, the little island that provides Monhegan its sheltered harbor twelve miles out to sea. I like the way the graceful birches frame the distance.
This is my 26th entry into the #Inktober challenge.
Just a glimpse of the Atlantic through the pines behind a couple of buildings on Monhegan Island. This is pen and ink with watercolor pencil and colored pencils.
This is my 24th drawing for #Inktober 2017.
As always, thank you for looking.
Sometimes a truck needs to visit Monhegan Island to deliver gravel and other heavy loads, or to pump the septic systems, or for a variety of other reasons. In my many years visiting the Island, I have seen this complex operation a few times. The "Island Transport" arrives at Fish Beach. The tide must be at the right height, and the chop low, as the transport crosses from the mainland to Monhegan's harbor. Fish Beach is tiny, and sheltered. The truck-carrying barge backs in, truck disembarks, takes care of business, returns to the barge, is loaded and leaves... quickly. I love this image of the industrial barge filling Monhegan's tiny harbor, dwarfing Manana as it pulls back out of the harbor. The scale is disconcerting, but accurate. The woman sketching on the foreground rocks was hardly disturbed by the incongruity of the exiting barge.
This is my thirteenth drawing for the #Inktober challenge. As always, thank you for looking.
There was an art auction on the island today to benefit MISCA, the Monhegan Island Sustainable Community Association. Follow the link to read about this worthwhile organization which works to make island living accessible to those who want to make a year round life here.
I attended the auction last year as well. It is interesting, funny, and people are generous in their support. Both years, the auctioneer has reminded the audience that this is NOT an auction in which to look for bargains, rather an auction during which we should aim to spend as much as we can afford. Both last year and this year I bought donated ferry tickets for our round trip to the island. I did a little bit of drawing during the auction, but tried not to make any sudden moves as the auctioneer had a hair trigger and I might have been toting home something I did not intend to buy.
Happy to support MISCA and happy to have next year's ferry trips taken care of.
The house we rent each year on Monhegan Island is up Horn Hill, steep walk, but well worth it with its open floor plan, view of the mainland 12 miles distant above Manana, 240 degree (math teacher estimate) vista, glorious sunsets and views of approaching weather. Half way down the hill is a flat area with a granite block bench and small memorial to Bill Cameron, a longtime resident who passed away in 2009. A small sign invites visitors and asks them to "leave no trace". I love pausing there, and painting there from above the village. Tucked in behind a graceful pine is the home of artists Arline Simon and Moe Oberman, both of whom we met when we first began visiting the island about 15 years ago. Moe and Arline are not on the island this year, and their absence is felt. Here is a blog post about Arline, me and a painting swap over 5 months, and another about a visit with them, and a last post about dinner at their house when we discovered Moe's love of Fred Astaire. The last one includes one of my favorite Astaire dance numbers, in the toy store from movie "Easter Parade". So, I spent some time sitting above their house and painting this week, remembering their joy and sass. The painting is not quite finished; I will post again when I complete it. Whatever happens to this eclectic home, I will always think of it as Simply Simon's, and thank God for the day I followed Arline's small shingle arrow pointing behind the hedge to her studio.... "A. Simon T, Th 2-4". Here is a video of Arline being interviewed a few years ago about her work here on Monhegan.
As always, thanks for looking. I love your comments.
If you read my blog, you have heard me expound on the beauty of Monhegan Island, and its small neighbor island Manana. I have painted Manana through windows, over rooftops, behind visitors, behind children, from above, and from a variety of other vantage points. (You can click on any of the highlighted phrases above to see other views of Manana on my blog). Here is another of my favorite views. Just past the church on Monhegan is a small path that winds its away along the shore. Manana is visible through these lovely pines, and the contrast in the greens from the trees and the island just across the harbor makes a beautiful and subtle juxtaposition. This week promises to be cloudy, lots of new opportunity for views of Manana in all its personalities.
Thanks for looking.
Another glorious week on Monhegan Island. This has been an interesting week, as they always are. We have had dinner with old friends and new, unexpectedly bumped into coworkers and introduced them to the island, attended a music fest at the local brewery, a drop in open mic night, a drop in sketch group, and a wonderful performance by Voices from the Heart, a choral group from Portsmouth NH, a subset of whom have been spending the week here in preparation for last night's concert. The sun was out and the air sparkling for the first few days, yesterday cold, foggy, gray, and today is a mix. It's New England and I love it.
I painted on a little patch of grass outside the Monhegan church this week, had a chance to talk to some children about my painting process, and was serenaded by the energetic daily rehearsal of the chorus just yards away. Magnificent.
While our country is in an uproar, with violence begetting more violence, we are finding room to pause, reflect, to treat one another with the understanding that we are sharing a space. There are responsibilities that come with that sharing.
Here is a link to Voices from the Heart on a trip to Croatia where they sang to raise money for the clearing of land mines remaining after conflict there. Make the world a better place for your being there.
I love objects with facets, ironstone, silver, glass. They reflect their surroundings in a lovely way. Here is one of my favorite ironstone cream pitchers back lit with wildflowers, and a tomato which casts a beautiful color on the white.
Added to my studio clearance sale today.
The Black Duck is one of two coffee shops on Monhegan Island. Both have their own personalities. Both are great places to hang out and draw, to meet a friend, or to accomplish my favorite Monhegan past time... just being present. These two women were hanging out one morning.
The September challenge for Girls Just Wanna Paint was "paint like a famous artist"... I've adapted that in my own head to "spend some time studying a famous artist and think about what you can learn". I admire Charles Reid's work. It looks so spontaneous, but is so intentional. Spontaneity and intentionality are not opposite ends of a spectrum, they are just tough to achieve simultaneously, for me. I concentrated on backlit heads, and wet into wet, lost edges. Long way to go, but I like this effort.
Thanks for looking.
In the twelve years we have been going to Monhegan, we've met some wonderful people. Some live on island, some visit the same weeks we do each summer. We love our annual visit to the Island, and love our annual visits with other vacationers, from upstate NY, from mainland Maine, from points farther south. Often, we have connected over our children, and enjoy seeing the maturity another year brings.
One friend used to rent the "Ice Pond House", not to be confused with the "Ice House" which was the shell of an actual ice house on island, and has since collapsed, its site being reabsorbed into the vegetation alongside the Ice Pond itself.
A few years ago our friend asked me for a painting of the Ice Pond House. I never got a good photograph of the painting until we visited our friend at her home on the mainland last month. Monhegan's Ice Pond House is lovely, no electricity, exposed studs throughout, and a big living room with a balcony above onto which open the three bedrooms; a real cottage. It is filled with original art and collections of things from over the past century. Wonderful.
I added a couple of pictures from the Thompson Ice House Museum in South Bristol, ME. We visited there in the winter years ago and attended their actual ice cutting. It was fascinating. There was a basket of vintage ice skates. You could pop on a pair, and skate at the far end of the pond while the near end of the pond was being sliced and carted away by horses, onto an arrangement of pulleys by which it was loaded and packed into the ice house itself. Fascinating, and all happening on a -4 F day. I imagine Monhegan's Ice House was used similarly, though I don't know if there were horses.
Thanks for reading. I love your comments. Oh, and check out my fledgling math blog Fractions Aren't Half Bad.
The southern tip of Monhegan Island is defined by beautiful, powerful, rugged rocks. When staying on the island, I listen in the morning for the sound of waves from that direction, although I'm sure there is a much more accurate way of predicting interesting surf along the southern end of the island. Perhaps wind direction... I don't know. It's a small island, so I listen, and can hear the waves through the 1/2 mile of forest between me and the rocks. Sitting on those rocks is absolute joy, all senses activated by the movement of surrounding air and water. I wish I had a recording of the sounds accompanying the visuals. I can hear them when I look at the painting, deep booms when waves crash into narrow crannies, splashing sounds of surf and spray on the rocks, and the silky withdrawal of the water back into the sea.
Thanks for looking (and listening)
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.
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. 
