| In 50 mph winds - setting up to paint this piece, it was absolutely out of the question to backpack into this location with such a gale because the canvas becomes like a sail. I knew (from experience) that I would need to be creative to keep my easel from disintegrating into a pile of toothpicks. It was obvious there would be a limited time to accomplish the work because a storm was rolling in. When I spied this spectacular surf in sea foam greens pounding into a wall of pebbles; with clouds of dark blues, and a spit of land shrouded in deep purples and ochres, I knew that I had a subject for a painting. Perfect, now I knew what I wanted to paint and all that remained was the how. I put the nose of my Renault into the wind. I opened up the hatchback, attached my easel to the hook lock with leather straps and forcefully installed my canvas upon the tray of the easel. With one hand holding onto my canvas I managed this piece, nearing completion, by the time the elements were unfavorable. I made a point of keeping the composition simple and working on the light and mood of the subject. As I was working, I noticed the point of land starting to disappear. This was my signal time was up, that was the incoming rain. |
