Maine: Low Tide, Owls Head

"Low Tide, Owls Head Harbor", by Robert Leedy, 2008, watercolor on Arches 140 lb. Cold Press paper, 16" x 22", (Unfinished)

Monday was Day One of Week Two for David Dewey’s workshop. We have a new influx of faces but we also have a lot of people returning for a second week. The weather was marvelous today – I don’t think it could have been much better. I believe we have a high pressure system holding off the bad weather, It was slightly cooler and very breezy…

David did a demonstration painting in front of Amy’s house down by the harbor in Owls Head. It is a wonderful location and it is very nice of Amy to let all of us invade her front yard. After the demo we broke off to do paintings.

I painted the dock again – only this time I went after a lower angle from the rocks. The tide was out  so I had no fear of getting wet. My only worry was not breaking an ankle climbing down into the rocks,

I got a late start. On top of this, I worked large. I got a good start and my overall design is working well. I worked in limited colors (relatively speaking for my work) and I maintained a good amount of white spaces to keep the painting airy and light-filled. 

We are returning to this location on Friday. It will be almost impossible to match up the tide, the light and the time of day, so I took several photographs to work from back in my studio. It will be important to preserve the whites and maintain the light pattern I have established.

David gave a critique of all of the works at 4 p.m.. I left my gear down on the rocky beach with the idea of retrieving it afterwards. Towards the end of the critique, I thought of the tide coming back in and rushed down to make sure nothing had floated off. The tide was coming in quickly and I’m glad the thought to check on my stuff entered my mind.

For dinner last night, Melissa, Rob & I joined Steve & Neva Joseph(owners of the Craignair Inn) for dinner at Cafe Miranda where Steve & Neva’s son, David, is the chef. It was a delicious meal and a good time.

Tomorrow we meet at Mechanic Street.