﻿NORTH SHORE: ROckport and halibut point

NORTH SHORE: ROckport and halibut point

4/12/2017

I took a day trip to Rockport to take pictures and make sketches at Halibut Point State Park, the North Shore of Massachusetts. There is an old quarry there where granite used to be cut, and a huge dropoff cliff of broken marble. The shore and the rocks lining the coastline are just breathtaking, and really fun to walk on. Some rocks are natural and some are rejected cut pieces of granite, which make for really interesting compositions in paintings.

Here are some photos of Halibut Point, and some pictures of works-in-progress.

These officially kick off my North Shore works in the Water's Edge painting series...

As you can see, I found a lot of opportunity to look for color in the rocks. I found all sorts of challenges in painting rocks. I had to turn up my patience as I realized each rock needed to follow the same 'rules' I always set up for myself each time I start a new painting. Where is the light coming from? Where are the shadows cast? What are the most important lines? What are the priorities in composition? How can I describe the form of each rock with beauty and economy? All these thought swim in my mind while I work. It is exhilirating and exhausting.

My Southcoast paintings dealt with the beauty of both marshes and dunes. Rocks are different and refreshing - as is anything new - and I am really getting satisfaction in this current focus and what it offers me in problem-solving.

The first piece shown below is finished and is now displayed at a private office where it is being rented through the Cambridge Arts Council. I had 11x17" posters made of a detail of this completed image, called "In the Fullness of Time (Halibut Point) to go with Open Studios and these will be for sale for $10 apiece. They are frameable in standard 11x17" frames. Let me know if you want me to set one aside for you.

The second piece shown below, which is now finished, will be shown at Open Studios. A third painting of this rocky shoreline is in the works and will be shown at Open Studios too, whether it's done or in progress.

Hope to see you there so I can share these works with you in person! Ain't nothing like the real thing.
-Deidre