The tide was wrong today but what I really needed to address forms that sit above the water line so I headed out to the Park. I was only able to work for an hour before the wind picked up. As the wind took hold, my desire to be out drawing in it diminished.
Sand Beach, Low Tide, work in progress, pencil & chalk on canson, 12 x 18 inches
Beach Weather, November, pencil and chalk on Canson, 18 x 18 inches, in progress
EDIT: Here’s the current state of this piece: http://wp.me/p2L2l2-pH after the winter weather has passed.
Sand Beach, right side, pencil on Canson with chalk, 18 x 12 inches, work in progress
This is the drawing that I’m currently working on during cloudy, high-ish tide, not-too-windy mornings. At 9 AM it was about 29F out there but really quite lovely.
Sand Beach, Low Tide Study, pencil and conte on Canson, 12 x 18 inches
The late November Sand Beach sessions have been very nice. The spooky light, light winds and infrequent visitors have combined to remind me of the charm of this over-used locale.
Great Head Study, 12 x 18 inches, graphite and chalk on Canson
One more session ought to do it…
Occam’s Razor is a principle stating that among competing hypotheses, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be selected.
Works great until you pick up a pencil. Then you need occam’s safety razor. which states that “… the one that makes the fewest assumptions, without screwing things up royally, should be selected.
So, I took yesterday’s drawing and pitched it. I began again with greater care and a clearer idea about this particular site was about. So, here we have the preliminary session of a new drawing, done out near the eastern edge of Great Head, Acadia National Park.
Great Head Study, graphite & oastel, 12 x 18 inches
Great Head Study. graphite on Canson, 18 x 12 inches
It had been almost a week of studio painting and I was itching to head out and do some work on site. Acadia takes on a much more intimate character in the off season and I find that my concentration and enjoyment are both somewhat enhanced. It is however, getting cold.
Sand Beach, graphite and chalk on toned paper, 12 x 18 inches
Finally, the crowds on the beach have dwindled. I look forward to a long and productive winter. Sadly, it will also be cold and dark. This drawing as are all the ones posted here, is done from direct observation. It was done in 3 working sessions, for a total of about 5 hours. The sessions are short at this particular site. The tide changes the elements continually and the weather has been a bit more fickle as we progress into autumn.