Old School Waterman

 Old School Waterman (24x20) oil on linen SOLD

This year at Plein Air Easton I decided to find a model to pose for me for a figurative piece... After spying a "waterman" with this epic beard, I knew that was the local subject I needed; waterman are the fishermen, crabbers and oyster harvesters who have worked the Chesapeake for decades. They have lots of character and everything an artist desires to make an interesting picture. 

Painter, Charles Hawthorne was the subliminal inspiration for this one. The model (who chose to remain nameless) sat for about two and a half hours, after which I tweaked it a little more from memory. The buoys I found down the road hanging on a shed and sketched them in my sketchbook to add later in the background, as I did also for the crab baskets at the bottom which were painted from life on a fishing dock close by.

Boat House Nocturne (16x20) oil on linen

This shed was located in Claiborne, not far from my hosts house where many folk reside who make their living on the water. I added the small boat on the side, but everything else was there. I have come to really love painting the rich history and culture of the Chesapeake Bay and it's residents and hope to return next year for more...

Plein Air Easton 2015

 Point Pleasant Poem (16x16) oil on linen SOLD

Had a wonderful time returning to Plein Air Easton last month (my 4th time) and the beautiful landscape there. Surprisingly this was NOT the hottest week of the year as is usually the case; still there were plenty of bug bites and lots of humidity, but that gets forgotten in the midst of all the camaraderie and great events the PAE organizers put on...

Made in July (9x12) oil SOLD

I was able to stay with a painter friend afterwards for a few days and tour the Smithsonian Museum of American Art where they have several Thayers, Benson's and Tanner's that were all amazing to see in person (especially the Thayers)! We even stumbled upon a William Wendt that was being cleaned in their restoration room. Good times again in Maryland -- hope to return next year!

Barn Storming

 Historical Remnant (9x12) o/c

I found this old barn on a country road outside of Easton, MD during Plein Air Easton last week... The farmer wasn't home and I was a little leery of setting up on his property without permission...but I did it anyway. I figured a good little painting could be worth the possible trespass ticket, but an imagined load of rock salt in a shotgun made me paint as fast I ever had before, and I think produced a decent little gem...

Relic (16x20) o/c

As I was packing up to leave,  a renter of one of the many barns on the property drove up and said he thought it was fine to paint there, so I repositioned my easel and did this larger version... It came out alright too, but I think the smaller piece is the best one. Sometimes our best work is done under pressure, imagined or not...

Winner at Plein Air Easton

"Talbot County Landscape" (16x20) Second Place Winner

I just returned from Plein Air Easton in Easton, Maryland where 58 artists painted for a week in some pretty extreme weather. It wasn't quite as hot as last year's event, but upper 90's with high humidity was still exhausting. Last year I blogged (whined) about my gear being lost by Fed Ex for the first 2 days of the event, then sleeping on the airport floor in North Carolina where I was stranded on the way home, but I still had a good time... Anyway, seeing old friends, meeting new ones and staying with my host family, the Tremain's was a great return treat, and taking home the Second Place prize with several sales was icing on the cake...beautiful country and great fun -- can't wait til next year!