Last week I spent two days on Lopez Island with other members of Plein Air Washington Artists (PAWA). On Tuesday evening, we gathered for dinner at the Lopez Islander Resort, then we painted on various locations on the island Wednesday and Thursday.
Lopez Island is one of the San Juan Islands in the extreme northwest of the state, and it’s only reachable by ferry from Anacortes. Its gently rolling topography is filled with farms, pastures, and forests. It’s a bucolic place; people raise a hand in greeting from the steering wheel when they pass on the roads.
I camped at Spencer Spit State Park, as did several other PAWA painters. On Wednesday morning several of us met to paint on the beach at the park. I made this painting of a bluff along the shore.
In the afternoon we moved to the south end of the island where there is an abandoned dock and oil tanks on a little point. I think it’s the most picturesque place I’ve seen. I found a vantage point on the rocks and painted the old dock, then I moved back and painted the house and the oil tanks above the cove. It was fun comparing work with the other painters.
While we were there, one of the other painters took a photo of me painting.
On Thursday morning we met at Agate Beach County Park and walked to Iceberg Point, a barren outcrop of land facing the open sea to the south. I made a painting of this tree tucked into the rocks before lunch. Afterwards I walked to the point and back, but I was frankly too tired to focus on any more painting. I caught the ferry later in the evening and drove home.
Wow! That is quite some tent. Sounds like you had a working vacation; lucky you. I like the intricasies that you are achieving.
Thanks, Warren. I like to think of my tent as a portable log cabin. It’s very roomy and comfortable.