Rye Marina

"Rye Boat"  12x12" Acrylic   Click for Info

I painted this one plein air, for an event/auction that was taking place that night. In true fashion, I never found time to scout out the better sites, it was about 3pm and I was frantically searching for some place to stop and do a painting - any painting. I saw a sign for "Rye Marina" and pulled in, pulled up, set up shop and made my self at home on property that was not open to the general public. I was way beyond out-of-time. No value sketch, I did quick value painting. Good enough, then jumped into color. By the time I was finishing up, the sun was low in the horizon and the owners of this adorable little boat showed up to take a spin. They offered me a sunset cruise - with beer - but I had to run. Threw the painting in a frame, (acrylics rock) turned it in, breathed a sigh of relief - Miller time!

Below I included a photo of the site, it needed a little infusion of color, I thought.

Boat Painting

Painting boats en plein air, its tricky. The boats move, the light changes, there is always distractions from curious bystanders who are fascinated and want to chat, the schlepping, the bugs, I always forget my visor and sunblock. So many things to deal with, so little time to work with before the light pattern has changed completely, about 3 hours tops. However all these factors put together make for a painting that communicates a bold, immediate reaction to your subject matter which is hard to simulate in a controlled studio setting. Your color, values and drawing decisions have to be quickly calculated and ruthlessly executed - no time to waver. Get it right - now - and move on quickly.

I discovered a marina in Rye, New York yesterday at about 3:45. After getting permission to paint there, parking, setting up my easel, putting out the colors, brushes, doing a quick sketch etc, I was ready to roll at about 4:30. Minus about 1/2 hour of chat time with some local boat owners who kindly offered me beer, water, and a sunset boatride, the painting was done at 6 PM. Just in time to enjoy that sunset cruise - which departed about 10 minutes prior ... next time!

Rye Marina SOLD

12x12 Acrylic on Canvas