“Robert Leedy in Maine: Day Seven”

“Rockland Boats, Rockland, Maine”, by Robert Leedy, 2006, 10 1/4″ x 14 1/4″, watercolor on Arches 140 lb Hot Press paper
“Rockland Boats, Rockland, Maine”,
by Robert Leedy, 2006,
10 1/4″ x 14 1/4″,
watercolor on Arches 140 lb Hot Press paper

Day Seven started out somewhat overcast but soon turned into a sunny Maine day. We were at the fishing pier once again. David did a demo painting and we were soon out on our own. I really wanted to paint the schooner but knew that the detail would bog me down. The other problem was the tide: the tide would go out fast and the schooner would drop drastically in the picture frame which would effect my design and drawing perspective. OK for a photograph or a quick sketch but not several hours of painting…

I chose an elevated spot overlooking the boatyard. I spent a good bit of time on a drawing – the boat hull on the left was a tricky perspective problem. After I felt satisfied with the preliminary drawing, I set out with a value pattern in paint to establish darks – but more importantly – to preserve whites. The preserved whites in this painting are necessary for moving the viewer’s eye around the picture plane.

The handling of the boats is not technically correct. But every artist knows that certain shapes and colors can be manipulated to create interest. The center console fishing boat in the center has all sorts of technical problems but the shapes and colors are interesting and they work on their own merit. I am acting as an editor in this sense: if I painted everything exactly as it exists, you might become bored with it. My inventive shapes and colors hold interest and slightly define what you are looking at. More importantly, they repeat throughout the painting and create unity in the design.

I added the orange extension cord into the painting. It was actually there and I could have omitted it but I felt that the small orange line would serve well as a devisive design factor as well as a point of color interest in the overall design.

I like this painting a lot.

fishing_pier_more_views.jpg

More fishing pier views. After I completed the painting, I walked around and shot many photos. The light was good and my eyes were in full visual mode.

fishing_pier_views.jpg

Photos by Robert Leeedy

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Published:
August 15, 2006 / 7:10 pm
Category:
Art, Artists, David Dewey, Leedy Artwork, Maine, Painters, Painting, Plein Air Painting, Travel, Watercolor, Watercolour
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