The Chieftain comes into our port in Garibaldi every year. She is a fun vessel with a great purpose. You can read more about her here. She is involved in "educational cruises and ambassadorial visits along the west coast." I haven't been aboard her yet, but every time I see her I want to join the crew and live the life of a pirate for a while. I want to climb the rigging and sit in the crow's nest keeping a lookout for other ships and hopefully whales and dolphins. I would gladly swab the deck in trade for a bunk, and even more gladly cook in the galley. Of course, I also think I'm 18 when I have my little fantasies. Nevertheless, she does set me dreaming. Perhaps I've seen Peter Pan or Pirates of the Caribbean too many times. Or maybe I need to watch them again tonight.
Boardwalk
As a kid I never really understood the game of Monopoly. I could play it, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it. I do, however, remember that everyone wanted to buy "Boardwalk". It somehow meant you could better win the game. It was years before I knew where the famous Boardwalk was, and only in recent years that I understood how it applied to coastal living.
This isn't even really a boardwalk, but rather a pier. However, it sent my mind back to those days, long ago, when we would pull out the game board, divvy up the money, and see who could out-buy everyone else. Just a little walk down memory (Boardwalk) lane.
Water, Water Everywhere
Water is always a challenge, and yet so much fun to paint. It's all about the reflections. Where is the light source? What is the point of view? What can you actually see from there? So many things come into play. But it all begins with a base, a background, a foundation. We must always build on a strong foundation.
Working Double
Sometimes the paint is just too wet to do any more work, and yet I want to be painting. So, while I was waiting for paint to dry on one canvas I started another painting. This one is also inspired by my location on the coast and is for the art show in August. However, this painting is inland. It never occurred to me, when I moved to the coast, that I would find estuaries and lakes near the ocean. They are also affected by the tides, but have their own ecosystems. There is simply more to learn about this planet than I will ever learn.
Blocking In
Sometimes when I approach a painting I work one area at a time, finishing some details before moving on to the next area. While I did do some detail work in the background trees, I am mostly blocking in all of the basic shapes before I move forward on this piece. There will be a lot of detail work and getting the background correct is paramount. I don't want to put hours into detail work to find that I messed up a major shape. So for this piece, I'm working large to small, fine tuning as I go.
Warm Toes
Have I mentioned that I love springtime? I was feeling a little down and out and decided to take responsibility for myself and take a break. What a beautiful place to sit and chill. Warm sand, hot sun, cool water, ahhhhh... spring...
Imagination
Beach Bikes
I don't often see beach bikers but these girls made it look like so much fun! It reminded me of the days when I rode bikes with my cousin. She was like a sister and lived just down the road. We grew up on a farm west of nowhere so there were no beach routes. But the laughter and the secrets and the dreams we shared on those bikes will never be forgotten.
Beach Boy
Well, here he is... my little beach boy. He makes my toes curl with excitement. I want to get down to the beach and help him collect rocks and stomp in puddles with him. Capturing him on film was such a joy. He ran from puddle to puddle to puddle. I was afraid that by the time I got to him, asked his dad for permission to take his picture, and got settled in, he would have run out of energy or interest. I was so wrong. His dad said he'd been running across the puddles for over half and hour and I was there with him for nearly as long. It was a rare moment, such as this one, when he would stop and find a treasure, and then be off running again.
I often wonder why all of that energy is allowed in those tiny bodies when my body can't seem to get enough energy to keep up with my own schedule. Watching the carefree child always stirs something deep inside that causes me to yearn for that same freedom to run and laugh and explore at will. Some days I let myself be that child. We should all do that a little more often...
The Moving of the Water
My little guy is picking a stone up out of the water. Painting water is very interesting. We tend to think of water as always being blue. Water, however, is colorless. It simply reflects whatever is above it. Because most of the time that is blue sky, we tend to think of water as always being blue. There is almost no blue in this puddle, however. So finding the colors that really are there is a fun challenge.
Tide Puddles
When I think of tide pools I think of the ponds left by the ebbing tide that are filled with star fish and sea anemones. When they're only filled with plankton, are they still tide pools? Or just tide tide puddles?
Trying to paint the texture of the wind-blown sand was an interesting process. On a larger canvas I might have become obsessive. On these 8x10 canvases, however, I am forced to keep things loose and keep moving. It is a good exercise for me.
It was also fun to note how the water rippled in some places and was completely calm in others, even though it was the same tide puddle. The earth is such an amazing thing.
The Shadow
I have to say I'm excited about this little guy. I got the tide puddles blocked in and his cute little shadow. More to come...
Beach Cherub
Well, here she is at last... my hot babe on the beach... my bathing beauty... my cute little beach cherub. I do love children. To me they represent innocence, hope, potential, purity, meekness, and joy. I love to hold a child's hand, play with a child's feet, and answer every single "why" they can come up with. Painting them, apparently, is no different. I have thoroughly enjoyed every child I've painted. I may have to stick to this genre...
Cloud Reflections
Possibilities
I had a crazy weekend that flowed over into Monday. When I headed to the beach I found myself there with no sketchbook and no camera. The pictures are pretty bad, but I'm still hoping to get a painting or two out of them. I love watching the wind surfers. I've got to find me a wet suit so I can get out there and do it myself!
Perspective
I've been working so hard on "Sunday Dinner" the past couple of weeks that I haven't taken the time to really get out and enjoy the incredible weather we are having here on the coast. So today I decided to just do it. And, as I typically do, I tried to squeeze in too many errands and of course ran into glitches, so my artist date time got eaten up.
As I was driving along 101 looking out over Tillamook Bay I saw this flying saucer... I mean castle... I mean mountain... I mean... what is it? I pulled over and took a photo.
When I got home I was frustrated that my afternoon out produced only this one photo. As I was processing it I was thinking about how what it is depends on the perspective of the viewer. And then it hit me. The success of my artist date depends just as much on the perspective of the viewer.
If I had been determined to drive down 101 and look across the bay to see Cape Mears, I would have been sorely disappointed because a fog bank only allowed me to see the point of the mountain. Instead, I was delighted at the view the fog created. So maybe instead of being upset that my time wasn't spent the way I intended, I can be delighted that a handful errands can be crossed of my list, that I got to spend some time with people I love, I did an act of service, and I got to be out of the house breathing and seeing and listening and feeling an absolutely perfect day on the Oregon Coast.
Perspective...
Beach Babe...
I got this gorgeous babe sketched in... Now to get some color into her cheeks!
Preparing the Kayaks - finished
As I sat at Netarts Bay sketching and journaling I couldn't help but hear the group of kayakers near me. They obviously hadn't checked the tide charts and had arrived to find a low tide. They spent a good 30 minutes trying to decide if it was worth it, or if they should just go home. It sounded like one was a guide or instructor and the others were of vacation. I so wanted to tell them to just go for it! It may not be the perfect conditions, but they were there, they had their gear, and they may not get the opportunity again. I was so relieved when they finally made the choice to make the best of what they had. By the time they were ready to get in their kayaks I had to go. But I did get a few sketches and photos and now a painting of them preparing the kayaks.
How often do we spend our time trying to decide if the conditions are just right? How right do the conditions need to be? When is it worth it to just take a risk and jump in the water? I think we miss too many opportunities to make great memories when we spend too much time weighing options and not enough time getting wet.
Testing the Waters
I ended up with a few extra hours on my hands so I went to Netarts Bay to check out an area where I'd never been. It was low tide and there were several people clamming and playing in the water. There was a family with boys who were having fun testing the water... in and out... in and out. It was fun to observe their interactions and the pure and simple joy that comes from playing in the water.
Netarts Bay at Low Tide
Another background. I'm excited to do this one. There will be quite a bit of detail and I'm going to attempt to do it one sitting. That's not usually how I work. So this will be a good challenge.