Saturday, February 19, 2011

Winter's Treasures

I haven't been blogging lately, not because I've been in hibernation. Not at all. Winter in Maine has many gifts for painters and I've been honored to receive many of them. Here are a couple, inspired by my daily walks on our nearby beach. It's called Willard Beach and because it's southeast-facing, the stroller is protected from the northwest winds that blow incessantly at this time of year. Most mornings it's pleasant even in the winter, but if the wind changes direction, watch out!


Winter Morning Silhouettes Oil on Canvas 18"X24"
This was a cloudy morning with the sun peaking out from cracks in the cloud cover. There was a strong reflection on the water the intensity of which is very hard to capture. I try to do it by contrast, but if there is a better idea out there, please let me know!


Snow Fences Oil on Canvas 16"X20"
These are installed to not only prevent drifting but also to protect the dune grass. If you look at them just right, you can find interesting compositional patterns. I added footprints for balance and added tiny figures on the beach to show distance. The first picture faces into the morning sun. The posi tion for this one is further to the north with the afternoon sun to the rightrear.

2 comments:

Marian Fortunati said...

Love them both, Jack!!!
The sky in that first one is absolutely fantastic!! I had to look at it more closely to see that it was a painting.... then I had to look at your notation, because the sky had such a delightful liquid quality I thought it might be water color. BEAUTIFUL...

Love the shadows and the footprints on the second one too... Are those really snow fences or are they fences to prevent the sand from drifting?? Out here we sometimes have them for sand. Hard to imagine snow that close to the water.

Don't you love our different but equally beautiful parts of the world???

Jack Riddle said...

Ah, Marian--if you come to Maine in the winter you have many treats in store. The snow is always on the beach, down to the tide line. Tides here range from 9-12 feet, so there's always a clear strip of sand to walk on (except at high tide!). The snow fences keep the snow from drifting into the bordering streets and walkways.Also to protect dune grass. Thanks for your nice comments. I'll try to keep the blog going now.