"Fog at Herring Cove"
One foggy morning, I took the workshop out to Herring Cove to paint the tail-end of Glensevern Lake. Glensevern is a freshwater lake trapped by a long spit of sand. It's one of my favorite spots to paint, especially in light fog because of the dark masses of trees that loom up over the grass-covered sand bar. Good contrast, like that of the dark trees against the lighter fog, helps make for a good composition. I avoid low-contrast situations whenever possible.
Liberty Point is another of my favorites, especially on a windless day. A stiff wind, even at mid-summer, can chill you to the bone as it blows cold air off the Grand Manan Channel. Friday we had exceptional weather. I did a tree demonstration - focussing on the wind-wracked spruces at the cliff edge - but also enjoyed capturing a little bit of Maine's West Quoddy Head in the distance. For these spruces, I was careful to block in the trees first as a dark silhouette. Treating them as a silhouette automatically simplifies the detail for you. Once the silhouette was established, I then applied slightly lighter, but noticeably warmer, paint wherever the sun touched each bough. It's an easy way to paint trees.
Now I'm done teaching workshops for a bit. Next week, I'll help Doug Dawson (www.dougdawsonartist.com) with his workshop in Lubec.
"West Quoddy Head from Liberty Point"
9x12, oil - SOLD
