Moorings: Finished

Well, it’s done. Finished size: 10"x 15" (Oh my aching eyes!)

It puts me in mind of a scene from my novel, Story for a Shipwright, where Sam Wesley is sitting in the local diner, looking out over the harbor on Sunday morning:

"It wasn’t truly the best seat, but the corner booth, partially overlooking the harbor and a few lobster boats suited me fine. While Billy perused his options, my attention wandered to the boats in the harbor—many of them were out for the day baiting traps, which is all they’re allowed on Sundays, from June through August. I thought about how consistent lobstermen are—they seem to recognize no distinction of day or season, heat or cold, rain or shine. Glancing around the diner, at old lobster traps hung from the ceiling, and picturesque scenes behind glass, I chuckled at how we who live here take their trade for granted. Funny, how tourists romanticize the industry, carrying it home in calendars or placemats, rarely appreciating the sweat that goes into the lobster on their plate."

…and thanks, again, to photographer Doug Wood…

"Stonington, Sunday Morning"

It’s time to post the image from which I’m working ! It’s called stonington, sunday morning, photographed by Doug Wood.

If you look closely, you'll notice that I condensed the upper and lower foreground (sky and water), cropped the left side, lightened the boathouse and eliminated some objects which I found confusing or crowded. This takes into consideration future prospects for this project as a possible book cover.

I continue to make slow but steady progress, giving my 5/0 brush a real workout; poor thing will probably have but a sprig or two of its sable hairs left, when I’m done…

...and for the record, yesterday's colors are a better representation...

The Right Half

In order to maintain an illusion of control with this piece, I’m working it in sections. Therefore, I’m posting the area I’ve developed. It’s by no means done, but at least the progress is visible.

A Bit More

It's not a whole lot, but it is progress…besides, I thought I’d better post something or you'll think I abandoned ship (bad metaphor, I know).

Moorings

This is indeed tricky business; I’ve never been too good at large-scale washes—not that this is large scale per se, but it’s more than I usually do with blending hues, and I’m real uncomfortable with it. (Perhaps I just never learned to do it ‘properly.’) I keep telling myself that it doesn’t have to look exactly like the photo—it’s the feel of it that I want. That is, after all, the reason I chose it. So, here are the first two steps: the drawing and the wash. (The sky wash is a little further along than I usually do at this stage, but it should be worked while it’s all wet.)

At this point, the hardest part is overcoming that angsty feeling that this is going to really suck—that I’ve taken on more than I can do well. I'm not happy with it, but if I overwork the sky at this point, I'll completely botch it. (No perfectionism there!) Of course, I’ll stifle that junk and forge ahead, ‘cause, well, I’ve posted it—and then there’s that wasting paper thing…I’d rather flop than waste a perfectly good sheet of paper. Besides, if it turns out poorly, then you’ll get to see both ends of my artistic spectrum.