For many years, I worked as a shipwright for a small boat repair facility in Alaska, so when I see an old fashioned boat shed like this one in Shelton, WA, it brings back good memories. This boat shed, located on the tide flat just outside of Shelton, hasn’t been used for many years, as the rusty doors and broken windows testify. It remains as a reminder of days gone by, when boat shops like this were common around Puget Sound.
I started painting this watercolor in the morning but I had to interrupt my painting for a lunch date with other clergy. When I got back in the afternoon, the sun had moved and the shadows had changed. It was hot and the watercolors were drying too quickly. When I painted the windows, they were too dark. Later, in the studio, I lifted the dark color with a wet brush and a tissue. I let it it dry, then I added the broken window panes. I think this correction worked all right.
Amazing what you can do with watercolor. Impressive.
This is one of my favorites, right down to the broken windows in the shed … just like old sheds tend to be.
Amazing how you can see and feel the sunlight that isn’t there, its just paint, but it feels so real.