Surf's Up!

Boothbay Shores

 

At Boothbay Shores just around the cove from my cottage, I ran into a group of painters taking an oil workshop with Don Demurs.  It was almost high tide and the surf was up.  I decided to exaggerate the height of the waves, and to include a figure that wasn't there.  The sound of the surf lingered in my ears long after returning to the cottage, and the feel of the sunlight on my skin was a welcome warmth after the cool weather of the first half of the month.  The sensory delights of painting outdoors contributes to the overall painting experience and the eventual outcome of the painting.

Compositional considerations:  The top of the wave breaks the straight line of the headland.  The diagonals in the rock shapes and the surf provide tension.  The little figure gives a spot of life to the scene.  And the reflections in the wet sand supply a soft relief to the hard edged rocks.

It's summer!  Get outside and paint!

P.S. There are still openings for my Boothbay Harbor workshop
August 29 - September 2.  Inquiries:   Email me at   caroljessen@yahoo.com  for more information.