Last week I spent two days painting in Port Townsend with other painters from Plein Air Washington Artists (PAWA). On the first day, my son, Guy, and I tried our hands at one of the historic buildings on the main street. I was pleasantly surprised with my effort. I avoided putting too much detail in the building so it wasn’t overworked. Afterward we had a cup of coffee with some of the other painters and shared painting stories.
Then we moved up to the Point Hudson marina where boats were beginning to gather for the Wooden Boat Festival. This beautiful boat caught my eye so I set up my gear and painted it. It was a good day of painting.
The next day I came by myself and painted near the Point Wilson lighthouse at Fort Worden State Park. I found this sheltered place in the sand dunes that had just a peek of the lighthouse over the dunes. This is the first time I’ve been able to paint sand dunes successfully. I only saw one other painter in the area, but I was glad I came anyway.
I’m amazed at what you can do with a paintbrush and watercolor. Those dotted lines on the sailboat would seem impossible to me. That is a beautiful painting. The sand dunes are so alive; it’s like being there. Great work!