Yes, there are times when you know something is ominously heading your way, and there isn’t much time to paint! A quick study from Quoddy Head. Enjoy.
Storm Coming, Maine Coast
Tag Archives: Quoddy Head
Two From Quoddy Head
TM9471 From Quoddy #1 7×7 oil on paper
TM9472 From Quoddy #2 7×7 oil on paper
Watching the subtle changes as a storm front comes in, and painting those changes, is a fun challenge. In the first painting, there is still a vestige of blue in the water, and a sense of overcast light. In the second painting, there is more wave action in the distance, the sky has darkened, and the mood is more ominous. Both paintings are from positions near the start of the Quoddy Head trail, where an old massif is crumbling away. It’s a very black and white place even when the sun comes out, but I love it best when the sun is in hiding. Enjoy.
Low Tide Morning
TM9459 Low Tide Morning 20×30 oil on panel
A low backrest of granite from which to enjoy the cool morning – I can barely see Quoddy Head enveloped in the early fog off in the distance. Out here, it seems like nothing has changed. Details below.
TM9459 Low Tide Morning – detail from left side
TM9459Low Tide Morning – detail with shingle, shards, and seaweed
Where to put down roots?
TM9461 Odd Place to Call Home 7×7 oil on paper
TM9463 Study from Bass Rocks 7×7 oil on paper
No soil that I can see, but these shrubs have found a way get by in hard circumstances. The first is from Quoddy Head, the second from Bass Rocks, but both offer little but a crack in the stone for the roots to dig in – more than some people have.
Morning on Quoddy Head #1
TM9460 Morning on Quoddy Head #1 7×7 oil on paper
Another part of the rugged coastline at Quoddy Head is this jumble of darkly volcanic rock, as seen on an overcast morning. I haven’t hiked this far very often, but oh what an incredible place! The surf pounds at the eroding cliffs and the thunderous vibrations can be felt in one’s legs. It is both primal and timeless. Enjoy!
From a Morning Hike
TM9450 From a Morning Hike 9×9 oil on paper
It’s a roughed-up piece of geology, battered by winter and tides, but that’s part of what makes Quoddy Head State Park in Maine so special. The other thing that intrigues me is the color banding of red, maroon, and black, all folded and layered. In this little painting, the iron-rich reddish layer is exposed, while the broken bits of the black, volcanic layer show near the bottom. Painted on a slightly larger piece of watercolor paper, the 9×9″ painting is big enough to allow for quite a bit of detail. Enjoy.
New England Coastline #8
TM9328 New England Coastline #8 7×7 oil onpaper
The dark stone, wet and slippery with salt splash, is hardly a place for plein air painting, but it provides a wonderful subject to tackle and with a zoom lens on a small field camera. I shoot from a variety of positions, and try different settings, usually on different days. This provides enough information to start a painting. To finish a painting is another matter entirely. That depends on happy accidents, simplification, a basic knowledge of geology, and optimism – at least. Enjoy.
New England Coastlines
TM9316 New England Coastline #1 7×7 oil on paper
It was inevitable. Each time I start one of these “little babies” I’m transported to a place with fresh air and (sometimes) thundering surf, and I find myself wanting to do it again, and again, and again…….so I do. I learn something new every time, whether its about paint application, paint viscosity, color, layering, and especially taking chances. More to follow! Enjoy.
Teri Malo Studio 