Last week I was in Bainbridge Island where I saw a house on Manitou Beach Drive that caught my eye. It was a shabby old-fashioned wood-frame house set among flashier million-dollar homes. All of them have eye-opening views of Puget Sound and the Seattle skyline, and it’s a mystery why this old house remains amid the gentrification. But it satisfies my eye much more than the new sterile structures.
Looking up at the house from the beach, you see an even row of boulders placed by the road crew to protect the shoreline. They look boring to me, so I changed them into a line of uneven rocks coming down to the sand.
I made a black-and-white painting to get my values correct, then over several days I made three watercolor paintings. I’m not sure which one is best. Here they are, from the last to the first.
I like last best, though all are agreeable. Your work is good. I went to college on Manitou Heights, but it had no water or urban view.
Thanks, Warren, glad you like the painting. I’m not sure how the drive was named ‘Manitou Drive.” Manitou is a word from the Algonquian language in New York for the Great Spirit. I suppose some Bainbridge Islander thought that was a good name to appropriate for their beachside road. But it’s not very Northwest-y.
Lovely, light, and loose, one can get much better than that. It is hard to decide on a favorite but maybe the topmost or…heck they are all nice.
That should have read “ Lovely, light, and loose, one can’t get any better..
Thanks for your comments, Judy! I learned a lot from these paintings.
I love that area. I like all of these but lean to the second one.
Great work Bill!
Thanks, Bev! I love taking that drive, too. Such a great view from the beach and the houses are all interesting. Wonderful to hear from you.
Amazing how different the colors are when photographed. The reds turn orange, but the painting still looks great, just in a different way.
Thanks, Guy. Yes, it’s always a challenge to photograph them and get the right colors. It’s always best seeing a painting in person!