Riding The Bowsprit

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

For more information about this painting, or to purchase, click here, or contact me here.

Sunday sailors;

afternoon breeze from the south 

with clear skies...

Sails billowing outward 

aglow with sun and shadow.

Teens along the bowsprit

riding where the adventurous go. 

Held aloft over the salty spray

reveling in the power of the moment.

 

 

"Monday FUNday" - Everything AND the Kitchen Sink

Have you ever packed so much into a weekend, 

that it's like Christmas, Fourth of July, 

and your birthday - all rolled into one?

Whew, it's exhausting....but ridiculously fun! 

We've become a 2 bicycle family now, thanks to LLBean's bike sale the other week, and some birthday money saved from September! Hubby and I have been out scouting out more places to ride....and plein air paint! Saturday we hauled our bikes up to the "Airline Trail" in Colchester, CT and  rode about 25 miles! No I'm not kidding, that's twenty-five. It's an old railroad bed with an incredibly level grade, which makes for a very pleasant ride. Mostly in shade, which helped make it easier, too!  Lots of beautiful views along the way - I felt like I was on vacation! 

So what's the best cure for sore, achy muscles? A stop at Salem Valley Ice-cream on the way home! Well, it sure didn't hurt, and was worth testing that theory. 

Now the "Motoring Secretary" at Roxanne Steed Fine Art was not content with a four hour bike ride and ice-cream, so we did make a stop close to home at Whittle's Farm Market in Mystic for some fantastic tomatoes, corn, and PEACHES! 

  Whew, all this and we haven't even made it to Sunday yet!  I was in for a nice surprise when I found out we were going sailing with some friends out of Mystic! What a wonderful treat! And I think I have some good reference shots for future paintings! The weather was perfect, I couldn't imagine a more ideal afternoon! 


Thanks to Darby and Dave for a really fun time!

(Darby, left; me, on the right)

And now for a last bit of 'multi-media' sketchbook fun! I've taken several pages in my sketchbook and made some simple underpaintings...and some not so simple. This one happened to have a simple green wash underneath, graded with a deeper value on one end, and layed in rather 'sketchy' - leaving some white - not a continuous wash.  It was nice and dry and ready for my "great idea" that came later.  I was inspired by a brilliant stand of Queen Anne's Lace on our bike-ride Saturday. The sun was beaming directly on it, and the woods all in shadow behind it made for a stunning back-drop.  I was particularly attracted to the strong abstract shapes of darks and lights, the flower heads of varying heights bobbing in the breeze. The loose watercolor sketch allows me to 'doodle - out' this idea and consider whether I'd like to perhaps try a similar design in oil.  Click on the image for a closer view.

So a successful weekend - involving back to back fun; good fresh food, and lots of new painting inspiration!

Fine Day For A Sail, Harkness Park

12"x24" oil on stretched linen canvas

"It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage."
-George William Curtis

Ah- today was another really fantastic summer day in CT. Doesn't get any better than this. And I got to be out painting in it, back at Harkness Park, here on the coastline of our state. I do love being out here from season to season. By the time September rolls around the purple Joe-Pie weed will have butterflies from all over flitting in and out of these blooms.

I am enjoying the larger canvases outside - why did I wait so long to try this out? It's only a bit more planning to manage the larger canvases outdoors, but I sure found this to be very satisfying.

This painting is currently available directly from the artist at my DailyPainters.com gallery store.

Red Right Returning

15"x30" oil on deep gallery wrapped linen

Everybody's talking at me.
I don't hear a word they're saying,
Only the echoes of my mind.
People stopping staring,
I can't see their faces,
Only the shadows of their eyes.

I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Thru' the pouring rain,
Going where the weather suits my clothes,
Backing off of the North East wind,
Sailing on summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone.
- Harry Nilsson

As I was posting this painting, I just kept thinking about "sailin' on a summer breeze"...and honestly - if you're my age, you just can't say that phrase without singing it to Harry Nilsson's tune. With all the chilly rain we've had lately, this is one fine daydream, to recall the sunny days out on the water last summer! Watching the boats go by!

Red Sails In The Harbor - sold

8"x6" oil on linen on archival board (Raymar)

"The ocean has always been a salve to my soul...the best thing for a cut or abrasion was to go swimming in salt water. Later down the road of life, I made the discovery that salt water was also good for the mental abrasions one inevitably acquires on land."
- Jimmy Buffett

Ahh, so true! After a long miserable winter....while waiting for the garden to emerge in spring...there's nothing like the first days when it's warm enough to 'bring out the boats'. That's the best part of living on the shoreline here in New England. I spent part of a recent weekend here in Mystic & Stonington just watching boats, hanging out by the water. After spending most of my adult life near the shore, I don't think I could ever move inland again. And of all the boats I spotted, I was really intrigued by this one in Stonington harbor with the red sails, backlit by the late afternoon sun...heading back into the harbor.