The Freedom to Work Outdoors

I have spent the last month drawing and painting outdoors. I visited Monhegan Island for a few days to hike, explore, and draw, scouting out some favorite spots for my next visit. In Addison, generous neighbors have shared two of my favorite places to which I have returned at different times, tides, and weather.

Bickford Point - Wahoa Bay

Making a plan, organizing equipment, and moving around on the land helps to get over the initial hurdle. Considering different directions and observing shapes and shadows are part of the dance, but eventually I make a decision about the spot, the composition, and begin with one color. I know that I'm in when my brush begins to crave different colors and I lose myself in the process of contrasts and color relationships. 

Basin Road - Wahoa Bay

Some of the paintings are finished in one sitting. Some require a return to the spot, are resolved in the studio, or discarded. Being outside provides an immediacy of purpose and the process becomes pure focus.  

Monhegan Hilltop Drawing Study

Burnt Head, Monhegan