Thursday, May 25, 2006

Portsmouth Lobster Dock (Plein Air)




FINALLY! After the rains and a bussy schedule I had a chance to get out, plant the paintbox in mother earth and slap some oil on a canvas. I drove a few miles not knowing where I was going to paint and pulled over at this small Lobster shanty and boat dock in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon on the seacoast.

I recently read a great artical about Kittery, Maine artist, Donald Demers plein air technique and thought I would give it a go. In a nutshell: He rubs in local color crudely, then using a small round brush, he does a detailed linear drawing in brown paint, taking great care to measure. He refines the color, darks and lights working back to front.

This took two and a half hours. I'm not nearly as fast or skilled as Demers but I really like this process and will likely adopt parts of it to fit my method. I'm always trying to find what works best for me.

Portsmouth Lobster Dock (6x8) Oil on Wood panel.

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