Painting up a storm
In the last week I’ve painted a number of 7×11 watercolors from photos I’ve taken in this area. Here are a few.
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November 2023
A walk up the Tahuya River
The little-known Tahuya River winds its way out of the second-growth forest near the end of the Kitsap Peninsula and empties into the tidewater of Hood Canal. One morning last week I hiked up the river on an abandoned logging road and explored the grass flats that cover the bottom land. The autumn air was shivery cool and moist; golden leaves covered the grassy track, and deep green shadows emerged from the forest slopes.
The upper reaches of the river were still in fog, while the lower meadows had strong shadows reaching across them. I took a photo and returned to the car. When I got home I painted a watercolor trying to preserve the memory of that walk. Pretty happy with the result. I’m donating this painting to the Bremerton Rotary Club for their annual fundraising auction. It already has a buyer.
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An ugly encounter
An ugly encounter
This morning I parked my car on the side of Central Valley Road, safely off the pavement and well away from the nearest driveway, and walked up the road to take some photos for a painting I was planning to make. The sun was shining on an old metal shed on top of the hill and shadows were streaming across the meadow. A good subject for a painting.
As I came back to my car, I noticed a pickup coming out of the driveway. A large burly man, about 60, got out and started taking pictures of my car. “What the hell are you doing?” he said belligerently.
“I’m going to make a painting of that shed,” I said.
“You’re going to do what?” he said, uncomprehending.
“I’m a painter, an artist,” I said. “I’d like to paint the shed on that hill.”
“Why are you taking pictures of my house?” he asked suspiciously.
“I’m not taking pictures of your house,” I said.
“Show me some ID,” he demanded. I showed him a photo of one of my paintings on my phone to prove I’m an artist.
“Lousy fucking picture. You better get the hell out of here,” he said threateningly.
“I’m just going to paint a picture.”
“Get the hell out!” he said.
“Are you scared of me?” I asked.
He pushed his face right up next to mine and said, “Fuck, no, I’m not scared of you. You want me to beat the fuck out of you?”
I held my ground and stared him down. “No,” I said.
“Then you better get the fuck out of here right now.”
I could see that violence was imminent. I didn’t know what he might try. “I’m sorry,” I said.
“Get the hell out,” he said.
I turned and walked to my car and drove away. I kept my cool the whole time the man accosted me, but I felt a little shaky as I drove away. This guy obviously felt threatened by my presence. He was belligerent and distrustful of anyone near his property.
I felt sorry for him because he was an angry and fearful person, peering out of his fortress at every potential intruder. Who would want to live like that?
I drove up Central Valley Road and made a painting of an old farm near Highway 303, but I wasn’t able to concentrate very well and the painting was a failure. I came home for lunch and told my misadventure to Katy. She talked me through it and gave me the support I needed.
The marsh at Shine Tidelands
At first sight, Shine Tidelands State Park is not very impressive. Just off the West end of the Hood Canal Bridge, a rutted gravel road takes you to a neglected rest area next to a windswept beach where one or two figures hunched against the wind are walking their dogs.
But it made a good subject for a painting last Friday. Wrapped up against the cold and blustery day, I made a small plein air painting of the marsh that lies between the beach and the bluff. I’d never noticed this marsh before, but once I really looked at the scene, it popped out at me. I painted it pink to emphasize it.
Later, back in the studio, I expanded this small painting into a full-size 16 x 20 inch watercolor. I’m going to submit this pair of paintings into the Winter Show of Plein Air Washington Artists. Here is the full-size painting with the smaller plein air painting below it.
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From plein air to studio
In September, I painted several plein air paintings at La Push, a small fishing village on the outer coast of Washington. Now I’d like to enter an art show that asks for a plein air painting plus a studio painting developed from the plein air painting. The idea is to contrast the immediacy of the in-the-field effort against the more leisurely and controlled environment of the studio.
One of my plein air paintings was a painting of a boat at the fish dock in La Push, so I used it as my starting point. I painted 8 more paintings of the same subject. Each time I painted it I was unsatisfied, but I learned something on each attempt. Below you can see the finished product, and below that you can see some of my earlier versions.
I love the harbor at La Push. It’s a dramatic scene, with James Island just out to sea from the harbor, and you can see the swells from the open ocean crashing against the outside of the island. As soon as the boats leave the harbor, they encounter the open ocean. It’s not a place for a faint-hearted fisherman.
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