Day 197 "After Fitzgerald" marker 6 x 9

I was thinking about Monhegan Island today, and looked up artist, James Fitzgerald.  His work is so powerfully designed.  Here is an example, "Frank Pierce, A Fisherman of Monhegan", oil, 1944, 17 x 23.  Look at the activity in this painting, it is roiling with the action of those gulls swarming about the fisherman's table. The gulls are tied together so well, with beautiful Manana Island as their backdrop.  I did a quick sketch of the design in marker, only darkening Manana in the back. Look how some aspect of each gull is aimed at the fish we can not see Frank Pierce cutting, but we know that's where the action is.  This painting builds space within itself.  It is exciting, dynamic... makes me want to hold it up to people on the street corner, proclaiming its mastery.  Really.  Sometimes you just want to share the joy.  
This is my hundred ninety-seventh daily drawing.  Thank you again for the pulpit.  

Sky - Mixed Media

"Sky" was my entry in North River Art Society's Outside the Box exhibit/auction this summer.  All entries were anonymous, until today when the bidding ended, and the names were revealed... so I can finally post my entry.  The stencil letters came out of a small antique box inside a bigger box of things from my mother's studio.  "Sky" was drawn in ink, then I used watercolor pencils, then applied water, and used the pencils in the wet areas again. I like the combination of textures resulting. 

As always, thanks for looking.

"Rupert" watercolor & ink 6 x 8

This month's theme for Girls Just Wanna Paint is "birds".  Several summers ago, we met a gull on Monhegan.  Of course, there are hundreds of gulls on Monhegan, but this one had a very distinctive square head, and markings, and showed up day after day on our deck. We named him Rupert (no idea why).  Rupert has good lines, and looked lovely in the late afternoon sun.  He spent one summer with some viridian green on his head, which I guess he found on an artist's palette on our deck.  One of the things I love about Monhegan is watching gulls fly from east to the west side of the island each morning, a distance of about a half mile, then back again in the evening.  I think they must nest in the nooks and crannies of the cliffs each night.  Their cries are synonymous with salt, sea, sand... 
See the rest of this month's challenge paintings here.   As always, thanks for looking, feel free to share.