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| After the Tide 16x20 Oil Available - Email me if interested |
"Time and tide wait for no man," the saying goes. Here on the Bay of Fundy, the tides are tremendous. They're the highest tides in the world. Of course, that depends on where you are, exactly, in the Bay. Here on Campobello Island, the tidal change averages around 28 feet. So, if you're painting outdoors and typically paint for about two hours (as I do), there's a 10-foot change during that time. This is significant, and the contour of the shore shifts drastically.
This week I went out to one of my favorite spots on the island to paint a particular rock outcrop that, at high tide, is isolated from the "mainland." I wanted to paint from a low angle and looking up at the rock, which meant I had to do it from the beach. I also wanted to make sure I had some water in the scene, which meant I had to do it as high tide approached. And if I timed it wrong, I might get my feet wet.
But I'm very familiar with the way the tide behaves around this outcrop, so I set up near the wrack-line, which indicates the point the last high tide reached. I wasn't in any danger. Plus, I only spent a little over an hour on this 16x20. Just so you can see the tidal change during that 80-minute period, here is a before and after shot of the scene:
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| 8:38 AM |
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| 9:55 AM |
By the way, it's gotten to be fashionable for plein air painters to shoot a photo of a painting in the field so it seems to merge with the background painted. Here's my attempt at that.
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| Illusion? |
