Welcome to the first painting blog entry of this new bouncing baby website! Just when I thought I was too, ahem ---whatever.
This first series is a collection of small format oil paintings done on location at the Pleasant Beach Watershed on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. Like a squirrel gathers nuts for the winter, some of these will serve as studies from which large format paintings will be executed in studio over the winter. The original intent was to paint every bay and cove on the island since each one has it's own characteristics, but I found returning to the same location over and over again definitely had its perks. The ebb and flow of the tides, changes in tide level, appearance and consistency of braided drainage channels with the outgoing tide, changes in light patterns and bird traffic all became too enticing to turn away from. Osprey, bald eagles, seagulls, blue heron and red wing blackbirds all made their way back-and-forth between the nearshore environment of Pleasant Beach and the Schel-Chelb Estuary.
Of course it wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, as the occasional poorly mannered hound would find my roast beef sandwiches tucked in the bike pannier and help himself, leaving the plastic container floating in Baker Hill Creek.
Hungry hound aside, the whole experience was made even more enjoyable whenever the opportunity arose to take a little break from painting and chit chat with some of the folks who walk, bike, write about, protect, explore, and paint the area themselves. We all share an intense love for this magnificent environment.
No fossil fuels were harmed in the making of this series. All locations were approached by bike.
Before winter sets in, more nuts will be gathered, but this time from the fertile rolling hills of Southwest Ontario.
Much gratitude goes out to the collectors who already purchased pieces from this series as well as the interest and words of encouragement expressed by friends, family and innocent bystanders.
