A Day at Shipbuilder's Park

An August Day in Boothbay
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$900  SOLD

Shipbuilders Park is right next to the famous Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, Maine. You can paint there at any given time and see all kinds of boats coming and going. I painted this early on an August morning and completed it last week. I was fascinated by the light on this obviously custom boat. It was a pristine day with a billowy sky. What more could an artist want?

A LITTLE ISLAND

Springtime at Knickercane Island
10" x 8"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$700

Knickercane Island is only about 600 yards long and 100 yards wide. It may be little but it has lots to paint. I so enjoyed seeing and painting the springtime colors. I tried to push the colors to let the painting have more personality.

Boothbay Shores-A Great Place to Paint

Rocky Shore
10" x 8"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$700

It never ceases to amaze me at how varied in shapes and colours the rocks along the shore are. The water washes over them and creates even more vibrancy. This was a great day for me.

The Hazards of Plein Air Painting

Church by the Mill Pond

14" x 11"

Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board

$900

While painting at this location in February (Mill Pond Overlook in East Boothbay), a great flock of Canadian Geese kept circling us from high in the sky. They were honking away as if they were telling us we were invading their territory. Judging from the dirt and grass we were standing on....we were!!!

A Great Place to Live!

Fall Colours at Grimes Cove
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$900  SOLD

We do not have many deciduous trees along the shoreline, but the colours of the low-lying bushes are just beautiful in the fall against the ocean and the evergreens. I painted this last fall at Grimes Cove and finished it in my working studio just this week. I have lots of paintings that need tweaking. They are like good books you don't want to end. You savor the time you can bring them to fruition.

Boothbay Shores-a Great Place to Paint

Late Summer at Boothbay Shores
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$900

Even though we have had a relatively mild winter I can't wait for spring to come. I painted this on location early in the morning in late summer and finished it in the studio a couple of weeks ago. The leaves were just deciding to turn. The  beach roses were still in bloom, but you can kind of feel that the weather will change soon.

Back to Murray Hill

Dock at Murray Hill
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800

It was an overcast day at Murray Hill. It was quiet and peacefuI. I was all alone. There weren't  even any lobstermen out. I wanted to focus on the dock instead of the boats. I so enjoyed this day.

Nature is Amazing

Nature is Amazing
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$900

Along Shore Road, my favourite place to paint, I saw this unusual sight. Imagine beach roses growing right out of a rock! It was just amazing. I had to paint it. Hence the title.

A Great Place to Paint

A View of the Harbor
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$900

I painted this from the Fisherman's Memorial in Boothbay Harbor. where you can see many lobster boats lined up. Since I had to peek over the Sumac bushes to capture this I decided to include them and make them a major part of the composition. You could spend days painting at this location and never run out of subject matter.

Wild Mustard

Morning at Boothbay Shores
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen on board
$900 SOLD

I have painted this vista at Boothbay Shores many many times. It is always a learning experience. Each time the result is different. I was with my fellow painters (Plein Air Painters of Maine). It is great painting with other painters. We learn so much from each other. The wild mustard with its tiny yellow flowers was in bloom and the day was beautiful. Living in this environment feeds my soul.

Sheer Enjoyment

Windswept Trees
Oil on oil-primed linen on board
8" x 10"
$700  SOLD

It was a cool foggy morning while painting at my favourite place in the whole world, Ocean Point. I focused on just what I could see. This is a study in warm and cool colours and atmosphere. I was happy with the result.

A Familiar Boat

Early Morning at Murray Hill Cove
9" x 12"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$700  SOLD

I have painted from this spot many many times. I think it has been almost fifteen years that this boat has been there. I am attached to it now. I enjoyed painting the contrasting reflection of the trees.

Tidal Pools

Ocean Point Tidal Pool
8" x 10"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$600  SOLD

The next best thing to painting a tidal pool is investigating all the interesting things that are in it. I painted this very early in the morning at Ocean Point. By keeping the distant island and lighthouse very simple I was able to have the viewer focus on the tidal pool and the mirror-like reflection of the sky in it.

A Different Surface

Storm Brewing
8" x 10"
Oil on masonite
$600  SOLD

It is good to vary the surface on which you paint. Just as it is to vary the size you paint. It keeps you fresh and on your toes. Otherwise it is easy to get into a formulaic way of painting.
I painted "Storm Brewing" on smoothly primed masonite. I usually paint on canvas with a tooth to it. Because of the smooth surface I was able to "lift" paint off and let the brush slip and slide around instead of dragging it. I really enjoyed this change and plan to do it more often.
As usual, this is my favourite place, Ocean Point.

It Pays to Get Up Early to Paint

A Peaceful Sail off Ocean Point
9" x 12"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$700  SOLD

When I was painting at Ocean Point early in the morning the schooner "Eastwind" sailed majestically by. I could not have asked for a more wonderful thing to happen. The whole world felt at peace. It must have conveyed that same feeling to others because it sold right away.

Windjammer Days

Waiting Windjammer
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800  SOLD

Windjammer Days is a big three day event here. I was able to paint this windjammer in the early morning as it was waiting to join the others in the parade of these majestic beauties. Hence the title.
I tried to keep the colours at a high key. This painting has a peaceful feeling to it.

Ocean Point Studio/Gallery

A few of you have e-mailed me to ask what my gallery looked like. So here is a photo of it. It sits next to my home. It is so fun to run because I meet people from all over the world. Some folks come year after year and I get to see their children grow up. This is the beginning of it's eighteenth year. It has seemed like such a short time.

Back to Barrett Park

At Barrett Park
9" x 12"
Oil on oil primed linen mounted on board
$700 SOLD 

Barrett Park is a wonderful place to paint and spend time. It is a small park with a gazebo. People walk their dogs there and the lobstermen use it in the winter to store their dories and lobster traps. Spring sees the plein air painters out in force to paint the dories before they leave. Sometimes in the summer you can see a windjammer or two waiting to join the yearly parade. You can always see lobstermen and sailboats out on the water. It even has a little beach for swimming. Of course I love to paint the seaweed on the rocks. The colour is so beautiful.

A Morning at Cozy Harbor

Beached Boat at Cozy Harbor
9" x 12"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800

There were ten of us the day we painted at Cozy Harbor in Boothbay Harbor. It was the first really good day we have had in a while. This beached boat was near an inlet behind what used to be Pratt's General Store. It was real early in the morning as the sun began to rise. I chose to exaggerate the warm colours to celebrate the day.

The Glory of Greens

Trees at Liberty Farm
6' x 8"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$500

It is tricky to paint the landscape when there is so much green out there. I had fun trying to make it work. I kept thinking to myself.  "Is it cool or is it warm"? Is it a light value or a darker value"?' It was a delightful challenge.

A Morning at Liberty Farm

Liberty Farm Meadow
8" x 10"
Oil on oil-primed David Davis Linen mounted on board
$800

Liberty Farm Meadow was so fun to paint.  I was able to edit and design the painting to my heart's content. The stone wall was really a woodpile and there were a few more trees in the meadow. I followed Stapleton Kearns advise about designing a painting. The wonder of being an artist is that you are forever learning. That I think is what keeps us entranced.

Another Favourite Place

Boat at Murray Hill Landing
9" x 12"
Oil on oil primed linen on board
$800

  Murray Hill Landing in East Boothbay is another favourite place to paint. This old boat has been there for many years. I know I painted it at least 10 years ago. It is always in the same place. I don't think I have ever seen it leave the dock. The day I painted this there was lots and lots of seaweed on the shore.

Mornings are Best

The Stillness of Morning
9" x 12"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800

I love painting early in the morning when all is quiet. This was painted at Barrett Park in Boothbay Harbor. The only folks around were a few people walking their dogs and a couple of my fellow painters.
The boat was actually facing to the left, but for compositional purposes I changed it to face to the right.

I am in Good Company

Morning at Hendricks Head
12" x 12"
Oil on Canvas
SOLD

This painting was done for the BRAF "Art in the Square" Show.
Lots of artists paint at this location. I was reading the American Artist magazine and there on page 25 of the January 2011 issue was a painting by Christopher Blossom painted on the same spot I painted from. I sure feel I am in good company!

Grimes Cove has Unlimited Paintings

Path at Grimes Cove
12" x 12"
Oil on Canvas
SOLD

This painting was done for the BRAF "Art in the Square" show.
And once again I painted it at my favourite Ocean Point. I shall never tire of it.

My Favourite Road

 Morning at Ocean Point
12" x 12"
Oil on Canvas
SOLD

This oil was done for the BRAF  "Art in the Square" Show. You can go anywhere a long Shore Road at Ocean Point and see a painting.

An East Boothbay Favourite

Mill Pond Overlook
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800  SOLD

The Mill Pond Overlook is a Land Trust acquisition. We are all very fond of it. It is the first glimpse of the ocean as you come into the little village of East Boothbay. It is almost a motif number one of East Boothbay (Green Island being the first). I painted it this past fall. I wanted to capture the serenity of the scene.

A Great Day

The Sentinel
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$700

Another great day of painting at Boothbay Shores. This is such a special place. It usually is very quiet for it is off the beaten path and not too many people know about it. This wonderful dead tree has always fascinated me. It has been standing there for the 18 years that  I have been painting it and who knows how long before that. It is on a causeway  going to an island so it has been buffeted by the winds from both sides. This day the wild mustard and Queen Ann's lace were in bloom. I wonder why they call it Queen Ann's lace.

I Am So Pleased

"Snow at Grimes Cove"
9" x 12"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800

I am so pleased that my painting, "Snow at Grimes Cove", was accepted into ArtinME , the State-Wide Juried Art Exhibiton. There were 85 paintings accepted out of 254 entries. The Jurors were Philip Isaacson, Art Critic and Writer for the Maine Sunday Telegram and Dennis Gleason of Gleason Galleries in Portland and Boothbay Harbor. The exhibition will run from October 15 - November 16 at the Boothbay Region Art Foundation in Boothbay Harbor.
I painted this on a very cold day along the ocean at Grimes Cove. With warm clothing you don't mind...and once you get into "the zone" you don't notice anything but being at one with nature.

The Challenge

A Windy Day at Grimes Cove
9" x 12"
Oil on oil-primed canvas mounted on Board
$900  SOLD

This was done the day I painted with the Plein Air Painters of Maine at the "Great Paint Out" sponsored by the Oil Painters of America. After a variety of weather conditions that started out with rain, then became cloudy, then sunny, then cloudy again, the wind picked up and the sea became very active and the waves began to crash against the shore. The challenge...... to choose the atmosphere you wanted to portray and stick with it. Obviously I chose the wind and the active sea. Such an exhilarating day.

A Foggy Day

"Day Off"
"8 x 10"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$600 SOLD

Some folks don't like the fog. But for some people it means a day off. I painted this at Boothbay Harbor on a real foggy day. The trick was to get the atmosphere but still be able to see enough to make sense.
Plein Air painters have all sorts of interesting weather to contend with. I happen to love the challenge. For instance, last week I painted with the Plein Air Painters of Maine at the Great Paint Out sponsored by the Oil Painters of America. We had a variety of weather all in one day. It started out ominously with rain. But then the rain ended just as we started to paint. Then it became cloudy. Then the sun came out and it was warm and beautiful for quite a while. Then it  became cloudy again and the wind picked up and the sea became very active and the waves began to crash against the shore. Now that was a painter's challenge...... to choose the atmosphere you wanted to portray and stick with it. I shall post the painting I did that day when I take a picture of it.

Morning Light
11' x 14'
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on birch
$800

I painted this early one morning at Cozy Harbor in Boothbay Harbor. Either the Lobsterman was already finished for the day or he had not gone out yet. In any case no one was up yet except me and a couple of other morning painters. I wanted to capture the silence of the early morning before everything and everyone woke up

At The Railway Village

Spring in the Village
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$700

I painted this at the Boothbay Region Railway Village. It is being exhibited in the show there with the Plein Air Painters of Maine. I was excited by the reflections in the water. Painting outdoors is so rewarding.

Artists are Visual Historians

A June Morning at Grimes Cove
8" x 10"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$650  SOLD

It was morning and the sun was so beautiful and making everything come alive. I loved the way the light bounced off the landscape.  The tallest tree you see on the island has since fallen during one of our storms. I have painted this island from the time the tree on the left was a tiny thing. Now it is the major tree. In time the others will grow again and the configuration of the island will change again. That is why I call myself a visual historian.

The Zorn Palette

Peaceful Morning at Ocean Point
5" x 7"
Oil on canvas
$250  SOLD

I thought I would use a very limited palette on this painting. It is an Anders Zorn palette. (Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre, Black and White). I modified it by using Indian Red instead of Cadmium Red. I really like challenging myself with different materials, techniques and design.
Other people must have liked this palette because the painting sold right away.

Our Rugged Coast

Boothbay Shores
11" x 14"
Oil on oil primed linen mounted on board
$800

Boothbay Shores is another one of my favourite places to paint. This was a morning not too long ago and the colours were so interesting to me. The canvas was rougher than I usually use which made for an interesting texture. It is healthy to experiment.

Treasured Moments

Morning Mist Unfolding
11' x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800

I used a smoother canvas on this painting of a pond close to my home. I like the way the brush glides over the canvas. I can lift paint off easily also. A nice experience.
I love watching the morning mist rise as the morning grows. The pleasures of plein air painting cannot be measured. This was treasured day.

A Different Size

The Beauty of Ocean Point
16 x 20
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$3000  SOLD

I did this painting from an 8" x 10" that I did last year. It is a good learning experience to do that because not only do you improve upon your smaller one, but you learn from the challenge of trying to capture the freshness of your on-site painting. I truly enjoyed painting this. Ocean Point is not only big rocks and rolling waves. It also has a fascinating shoreline of small rocks too. I could hear the waves in my mind as I painted this.

Grimes Cove

Low Tide in the Cove
5" x 7"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$495

Back to my favourite place in the world.
The colours of Coastal Maine never cease to amaze me. Sometimes they have an old world feeling to them. I tried to capture this in this small painting.

Another Studio Painting

Light on Shoreline Trees
12" x 16"
Oil on oil-primed linen on board
$1100

I have painted these trees a lot. I call them the Shore Road Bonzai trees because over the years the wind has bent them into these unusual shapes. They are truly weather beatened.

The Loosestrife Grows Along the Sea

Rocks and Loosestrife at Ocean Point
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$1100 SOLD

This painting is of Shore Road at Ocean Point where the rocks, surf and seasonal vegetation are endless subjects. This painting worked!! I am so happy when everything comes together like this.

A Snow Painting

Eskutassis Stream
9" x 12"
oil on canvas
SOLD

This is a painting I did quite a while ago. I wanted to show you all what our landscape looks like today. We have had approximately 14 inches of snow. It is so beautiful and quiet outside. I am working on a studio painting today. A challenge for someone who is used to painting outside. But rewarding too.

Pushing Colours

Morning Light at Grimes Cove
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen on board
$800  SOLD

Here is a painting I did on an early morning last Fall at Grimes Cove. The light was eerie and the seaweed looked alive. I really pushed the colours on this one and am happy to say, it worked! Sometimes thats what it takes..... to paint not just what you see, but what you see and feel.

Capturing Fleeting Moments

Morning Clouds Over Boothbay Shores
8" x 10"
Oil on oil-primed linen on board
$600  SOLD

It was dawn and these clouds were streaking across the sky. I had to capture this fleeting moment before it changed. A real challenge, but oh so exciting. I did not have to tweak it at all when I came home.

Here are four paintings I did "en plein air" for the "Art in the Square" Fundraiser Show for the Boothbay Region Art Foundation Gallery in Boothbay Harbor. All paintings are 12" x 12" The Exhibition runs from November 27 to January 3.

Upper Left: Hendricks Head Shoreline SOLD
Upper Right: Victorian Gull SOLD
Lower Left: Another View From Red Hawk Reach SOLD
Lower Right: House on Capitol Island SOLD

A Morning at Ocean Point

Ocean Point Shoreline
9" x 12"
Oil on oil-primed linen on board
$700

The Shoreline at Ocean Point is an endless subject to paint. I can go there every single day 365 days a year and paint a different painting. The sky colour changes, the sea changes. the seaweed changes... even the rocks change colour from the reflected light. That seagull was really there.

Every Painting is a Learning Process

End of Summer
11" x 14"
Oil on oil-primed linen mounted on board
$800

This was painted during the Oil Painters of America's "Great Paint Out" at Ocean Point in East Boothbay on September 9. What a day. There were 25 painters on the shore. I was amazed at how the Beach Roses and other grasses could grow right out of the rocks. The trick here was to get enough texture in the rocks without getting literal. Every painting is a learning process.