August 2026

Last week I participated in Whidbey Island Plein Air, a plein air competition with ninety other artists. I painted ten paintings in five days, which is a lot for me. My son, Guy, and I camped at Fort Ebey State Park, which is a great place to camp. Guy was my driver and companion for the week, and he painted a number of good watercolors also. It was a lot of fun to see other artists and to paint the scenic portion of the island near Coupeville.

On Monday, the first day of the event, we arrived late because of dense fog that delayed the ferry from Port Townsend. But that afternoon I painted this old house on the main street leading into Coupeville. I laid in the roof and the dark portions of the house with my big mop brush. This brush makes it impossible to fuss with small details, and I like the loose effect it gives. I followed up with a smaller brush to paint the light portions of the house, the picket fence, and the trees. It was a fun painting.

On Monday evening, there was a dinner for all the artists at a local artist’s studio, and I was able to mingle with new and old friends. This was my fourth year to participate in Whidbey Plein Air, and I knew a dozen or so of the artists.

On Wednesday, I painted the beach at Partridge Point. I like the vantage point from the top of the hill showing the steep grassy hillside. This painting received an Honorable Mention at the show on Friday.

On Wednesday evening, we drove to Dugualla Bay to paint the dramatic valley with Mt. Baker rising up across Puget Sound. I like the way this farm is situated just above the estuary of the bay. We finished a little after 7 pm and drove back to our campsite for dinner.

We turned our paintings in on Thursday afternoon to be hung at the art center. The opening gala and show was held Friday at 6 pm. It was wonderful to see all the paintings that the other painters had painted, and to see the red dots on paintings that had been sold. My painting, Coupeville house (above) sold to a young couple from Bellevue for $500. I had a chance to talk with them and thank them for their purchase.

We left the gala a little bit early so we could make it to the 7:30 ferry to Port Townsend. We got home a little after 9 pm.

These two paintings were made by my son, Guy. They’re very good for a beginning painter. I especially like the clean washes, the brushwork, and the compositions.