Painting Beaches in New England

I love to paint beaches in and around New England. What's great about New England beaches is that they are all so different looking. Some are rocky and some are very sandy and white, while others are tan or a deep tawny rose, covered in seashells and old driftwood. There are beaches that are barely there while others stretch for miles. A number of them are lined in seaweed; others are interspersed with boardwalks, retaining walls, or even huge sand dunes. Here and there, you will see retaining walls with houses built right up to the edges. The views must be breath taking, but a little scary in a storm. Maine's beaches are interspersed with huge boulders that sport some great crashing waves, but if you go a little south to Cape Cod, you will see nothing but huge mounds of sand dunes all along the coast. The coast line of Connecticut is a mix of both rocks and sand, but it doesn't have the pristine beaches of the Caribbean. It does have interesting views of salt marshes, beach bungalows, and boat moorings. You can almost always find someone walking their dog, or children playing in the sand or water, even in the cooler months. It's often a surprise when I go beach hunting, so I keep an open mind, because it's always changing.

The above painting is in nearby Milford, CT, during high tide. I loved the way the sand wound its way out to sea, and the interesting blue-green rocks that lined the coast in one area. The area does have a tiny beach, which I will explore at a later date.

Upcoming Exhibit at the Woodbridge Town Library

I will have a new exhibit of my artwork at the Woodbridge Town Library in Woodbridge, CT, starting Saturday, November 12 and ending on December 31. I was able to get a bonus extension from one month to nearly two months. The exhibit will include a collection of new artwork never before on display, including landscapes, seascapes, and still life. I will be there in person on Tuesday, December 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. If you get a chance to come by, I'd love to see you.

Painting shown: White Poinsettias, Oil on Canvas, 12x16, $400.

Workshop in Maine with Stapleton Kearns

I went to Acadia, Maine last weekend for a three-day workshop with master painter Stapleton Kearns. The first day, we painted on top of some large rocks on the shoreline in Thunder Hole. It was warm and sunny mostly and quite pretty that day. Stape began with a demo with an underpainting in burnt sienna. He worked up a lot of the drawing into precise details. It was interesting to watch him use his large brush to work in the rocks and hills. He recommended that we work on the largest areas first, but keep working on different areas rather than finishing one area before going on to the next.

The next two days we spend painting at Ship's Harbor on the south side of the island near Bass Harbor. We had a short hike, though it seemed long when you had to carry a bunch of painting equipment, to a great spot near the water with beautiful pine trees hugging the shore. Both days were gray with mist and clouds, so it made for a softer, cooler painting. The colors were more intense but muted by the atmosphere, rather than a lot of light bouncing off of objects and desaturating the color.

Stape started out with a demo on the first day in Ship's Harbor with a purple underpainting, because of the cool light filtering through the picture. He then added color, working all over the canvas, bringing up one area and then another. Many of us had too short a range of values, with too little darks and too few lights. We tended to stay in the middle ranges. Perhaps the grayness of the day influenced our decisions. He did say that we needed to hone our drawing skills and work with larger brushes.  He told me to take a value scale and compare it to photos of masters' paintings so that I can see their range of values. Getting the values right is not as easy as it sounds. I hope to take this painting and work on it more at home this week.

The group was a fun mix of artists and art lovers, all enjoyable to be with. It was small, there were only ten of us, which is the best size, I think. I even met an artist from Durham, the next town over from mine. That was a coincidence.
The rain kept threatening by the end of the day on Monday, so I packed up and drove home. I would have loved to stay another day, but not with a forcast of rain.  It was a long drive, 7.5 hours, but it went okay. I will go back again on my own maybe next spring. I want to see more of the park and do some hiking. What a great place to paint and hike!

Open Doors of Downtown Milford Art Exhibit

This is the door that I will be entering in the Open Doors of Downtown Milford Art Exhibit. I started my design and study in May by doing small studies of places in Milford that I enjoy and find interesting. Once I decided on the scenes that I wanted to use for the door, I chose a base color for the door, painted it, and started drawing my scenes using charcoal directly on the door. I decided to combine two themes that are prevalent in Milford.

One is the river that flows through the city to the ocean, along which a pastoral pond and park have been the site for numerous visits by residents. For many years, wedding photos were taken at the falls with its gorgeous pastoral view, and parents and their children come by to feed the ducks and geese.

The other theme is the sea, with the Milford Marina filled with all types of boats, and the sailboats out in the open sea on the bottom panel, and the popular Silver Sands Beach with Charles Island in the distance on the top panel.

I attached sound cards on each side, with recordings of geese and ducks quacking for Tranquil Waters and ocean waves and seagulls singing for Sea Breezes.

Please come by and visit me on August 20th. I will be there with my door and some additional paintings of Milford for sale. The auction in September is an exciting event as well. There will be food and refreshments and a lively crowd.

The finished door.

The falls in progress and then finished.

Closeups of each panel.

Maine Coastline

This is a painting that I did on a trip to Maine last year from high above Camden Harbor. It was so scenic, but very difficult to do a painting from above and from a long distance. I started it there, but put it away until recently. I now have more information on how to adjust color and tone for distances, so the resulting painting is much better.

I went up to Maine with a couple of other friends to visit a friend who was staying at her husband's sister's house there while they were away. It was so pretty there. I especially loved Camden for its charm.

Oil on Canvas over panel, 9"x11", $300.

Plein Air in Old Saybrook

I went out to Old Saybrook to paint one day last week. The weather was perfect and there was a slight breeze off of the calm water. The tide was low with a significant amount of sand bars peaking through the water. I was so involved with executing this painting that I painted nonstop for four hours. I am pretty happy with the results of this one. It really captured the mood and the light of the day.

Oil on Canvas, 11"x14", $350.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com