Monhegan

These are some photos from the September workshop on Monhegan. There were 13 painters from all over the U.S., and we had a really fun week, with lobster, wine, and lots and lots of painting!

Our first morning, painting on Horn Hill.

Me painting on my free afternoon.

Bob working on an outbuilding near the lighthouse.

The last day, indoor demo, back. . .

. . . and front. Monhegan House dining room.

The group on the front lawn of the Island Inn.

Jim finishing up at the lighthouse.

Our group painting at the lighthouse.

Kevin Beers, me and Errol at our first annual cocktail party hosted by Remak.

Almost the whole group, back row, left to right: Errol, Karen, Jill, Kevin, Remak, Tom. Front: Tony, Connie, Richard, Jim, Bob and me. (not pictured: Nina, Kathy, Manny)

Karen, Bob and Jill at the cocktail party, waiting for the sunset.

All aboard. Finally on our way to Manana! On my last visit to Monhegan 3 years ago, I had tried unsuccessfully to make it over to Manana for a hike. This year I was determined. It took us 3 days for everything to fall into place, and we finally made it, though not with the entire group.

Rusty at the helm, on the way to Manana.

Climbing the ramp onto Manana. Island Inn and the ferry in the background.

This building contains an old engine that used to pull supplies up the ramp to the Coast Guard station.

Abandoned Coast Guard station.

Yes, there are indeed goats on Manana! We spotted 6.

The view from the top of Manana toward Fish Beach.

Me painting the fog at Swim Beach.

Errol and Tom working the morning shift at the lighthouse.

The popular red house at sunset.

My hotel room view on Vinalhaven.

Monhegan, Maine 2012

These are paintings done during a 5-day workshop on Monhegan in September, including a few I did after it was over. On one of our beautiful weather days, we all went up to the lighthouse to paint. I love the variety of planes and shapes this building has to offer.  7x14" sold

Another favorite place of mine to paint on the island is the lawn in front of the Island Inn. More interesting planes on the foreground building, and a nice big cast shadow. Manana, the island in the background, makes for a nice organic backdrop to all the structural stuff in the middle ground. I did this mostly on site, then worked on it another 20 minutes once I got home. 9x12" sold

On the 4th day, the weather and light were constantly changing, and I got the sense everyone was a bit tired (including me), so we declared the afternoon as free time and I did this backlit scene. 9x12" sold

One afternoon I was excited to have a couple hours to paint, but a light sprinkle began just 5 minutes after I started painting. So I packed up my stuff and went back to my 4th floor room where I had a nice view from my window and painted this overcast scene while I sat on the floor.  8x10" sold

On the last day of the workshop, it was pretty overcast, so I set up in the dining room of Monhegan House and did this demo from a photo, and talked about capturing strong light and shadow. 9x12" sold

After the workshop was over, I spent 2 days on Vinalhaven painting and taking pictures. I was thrilled to see this view from the deck of my hotel room after I checked in. Could not have been more convenient. A couple staying 2 doors down in the same hotel, who had ridden their Harley's all the way from Oregon ended up buying it. 11x14" sold

My hotel room came with free use of a bike with a basket. I had left my car in Rockland, and was able to ride the bike around Vinalhaven with some of my painting stuff in the basket, other stuff slung over my shoulder, while holding the easel in my left hand. It was kind of precarious, but fortunately I didn't have far to go. This scene was just down the street from my hotel.  8x10"

I found this boat in a nearby boatyard and really wanted to paint it on site, but the place was too busy with forklifts, trucks, customers and workers. So I painted it as soon as I got back to California from the safety of my studio. 8x10"

One night on Monhegan after dinner, I walked around taking photos at dusk -- a difficult light for cameras to capture. I really liked the graphic quality of this scene, with the deep blue water, yellow sky and lights in the windows. I started this one right after I finished the boat painting above -- trying to keep the memory of the scene fresh in my mind.  8x16"