Where the seagulls gather

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Seagulls at the mouth of Chico Creek

This is the season for salmon runs in the Northwest, so I took my easel to the mouth of Chico Creek near Silverdale, where the salmon are running up the creek. The air was filled with hundreds of seagulls feasting on the dead salmon that were lying on the creek bank, and the light was bouncing off the tide pools in the marsh grass.

I was lucky to get a break in the weather. The afternoon was chilly, but the skies were mostly clear. A beautiful cool November day.

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High tide and a blustery day

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The lagoon near the Gardiner boat ramp

When I started painting this watercolor at Gardiner lagoon, the incoming tide was pushing water up into the grass of the estuary. The weather was blustery and clouds were flying overhead. By the time I finished, the water was almost up to my easel. You never know what will happen when you go painting.

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The tide flats at Gorst, WA

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The tide flats at Gorst, WA

I parked my car behind one of the car sales lots in Gorst, WA, and stepped into another world, a world of muddy tide flats, winding creeks and streams, and marshy bogs. With my satchel of watercolor gear over my shoulder and a large umbrella in my hand, I stumbled through the tall grasses and crossed the muddy creeks until I found just the right place. A few fence posts stood as witnesses to some long ago dairy farmer who ran his cattle here.

I poked my umbrella stand deep in the ground and set up my easel under its canopy. Although showers came and went while I was painting, my easel and I stayed dry. Well, almost — you can see some raindrops in the upper left corner. I used the fenceposts as a way to frame the tideflats and kept most of the washes loose.

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Where the people meet

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Seabold Hall on Bainbridge Island

When Bainbridge Island was a patchwork of farms and orchards early in the last century, people didn’t get around much. So they built community buildings like Seabold Hall for community events, like dances, potluck dinners and holiday celebrations. It still stands, well taken care of, and it still hosts community functions.

I set up my easel in the grassy lot next to the hall and started to paint. There wasn’t much car traffic, but lots of people came by on their daily walk, many of them with a dog or two. I found it very calming and peaceful. The day was cool and partly cloudy, just the right conditions for a plein air painter.

I think I got the perspective right on the building, but I lost control of the washes on the roof. I enjoyed adding the figures, and I’m happy with the looseness of this painting.

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The bend in the road

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There’s something attractive to the eye about a bend in the road. The gentle curve, the disappearing lines that meet at the horizon, the trees bending overhead, especially when the fall foliage is turning red and yellow.

I made this painting under my umbrella on a rainy morning. The FedEx guy stopped and said, “All right!” The Amazon driver said, “I like your painting.” Another young guy in a pickup said, “I never realized my street was so beautiful.” It was nice to get affirmation from younger guys.

The fall foliage will soon be gone and the trees will be bare and forlorn, Meanwhile, I’m trying to learn how to paint the foliage. Here’s another one.

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Pioneer farmhouse in Big Valley

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Frederickson homestead

Big Valley was settled by pioneers early last century, and their farms and fields remain as their testimony to their sacrifice and hard work. I’m grateful that Big Valley hasn’t been turned into sterile housing projects. It’s one of my favorite places to paint.

On a lovely autumn morning, I stepped into the pasture of this farm so I could paint a view of the house, the flaming maple tree beside the big fir, and the red shed above. It didn’t look like anyone was living in the house. I wasn’t far off the pavement, but technically I was trespassing. I was focusing on my painting, when I saw a man approaching. “Are you the owner?” I asked. “Hope you don’t mind if I paint your farm.”

Luckily he was quite generous and we had a nice conversation. It turns out his family homesteaded this property and built the house in 1905. I told him how much I appreciate his stewardship of this historic site.

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The tide flats at Gorst

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Sinclair Inlet estuary

Gorst, WA, is sometimes known as “the armpit of Kitsap County”. Located at a sharp bend in Highway 16 at the end of Sinclair Inlet, it’s a crazy collection of gritty businesses — car dealers, tire stores, muffler repair shops, metal recycling lots, and bikini barista coffee shops. But if you sneak behind the concrete block buildings, you’ll find the lovely estuary of Sinclair Inlet.

The grassy bottoms are bordered with willows and shrubs, and old stumps and snags remain from earlier days. Ducks and geese dabble in the small creeks that empty into the mud flats. In short, it’s a painter’s paradise.

On a cool, moist morning I pushed my way through the reeds to find this lovely scene. I had the place to myself while I focused on this painting. When I got home, I made a studio version.

Studio version

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Fall color at Lake Crescent Lodge

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Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park

Every year in late October Katy and I spend a night at Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park. We always get into great conversations with other guests in the evenings while sitting in the great room with a fire blazing in the fireplace, and we love the historic character of the place (FDR visited the lodge in 1939!).

Before we checked in, I made this watercolor of a big maple tree in front of the guest cabins next to the lodge. Several guests, including some from other countries, stopped by to see my progress. It was cool and cloudy, but occasionally the sun would illuminate the white cabin behind the tree.

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A rainy day at the estuary

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Gardiner Beach lagoon

I found this saltwater lagoon on Discovery Bay while exploring the back roads of the Olympic peninsula. It’s a hidden gem! I especially liked the reflections of the trees and the house, as well as the long spit with clouds hovering above it.

I nearly had the place to myself. A woman runner stopped briefly to chat, and another woman passed by with her two old black labs. Several fishermen ignored me as they launched their skiffs at the boat ramp nearby.

It was raining when I got there, so I had a chance to test out the new umbrella that Guy gave me for my birthday. It works great. It has a spike that goes in the ground to support it, and it’s large enough to keep my painting dry.

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Shed on Big Valley Road

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Big Valley Road

You can still see the fences and pastures of the old pioneer farms that settled Big Valley years ago. As I drove up the road winding through the valley, my eye was caught by this old shed nestled against the woods above the pasture, and by the blazing orange of the bigleaf maple tree next to the dark fir tree.

It’s hard to find a place to park along Big Valley Road, but I managed to pull over safely and walk back to this pasture. I set up my easel in the shade of the trees to the left and began to paint. A pleasant elderly woman came out from the house next door and admired my painting. “I hope it’s all right if I paint here,” I said. “Oh, heavens, yes,” she said.

When I got home, I made a studio version of the same scene, making sure to show how the field slants upward. Somehow I lost that in the plein air version.

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