I just returned from a painting trip in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. What a beautiful town and harbor! I have always been drawn to the water and all activity surrounding it, and on this particular trip the action revolved around, you guessed it, lobster. The town itself is rather touristy, but the harbor is filled with real working docks bustling with flannel and wader clad lobstermen toiling away to feed Boothbay's inhabitants and visitors. We were granted permission to paint on these docks by the friendly lobstermen, who not only allowed us a front row seat to their crustacean show but also invited us to share their coffee and facilities. To pay homage to their hospitality we consumed lobster at least once a day (sometimes twice) for a week. I think I'm sprouting claws, but it was worth it.
The up close and personal experience the kind workers allowed us is an example of one of the best parts of plein air painting for me. I delight in the opportunity to connect with the locals and their environment wherever I am as I study and translate onto canvas what I am seeing and feeling. I believe this kind of relationship with your subject shows in your work, and with this particular experience I know it to be the case. I truly felt connected to the people and places of this delightful part of our country.
Below are images of a couple of the paintings from the trip. I will use these as reference for larger paintings and am planning to add some of the lobsterman in the dock scenes. Stay tuned for bright orange waders...
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“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”
~ Pablo Picasso