Shem Creek Park

10" x 15"

     My most recent series of paintings depict a newly opened park near my home. As I watched the progress of it's construction through the summer, I knew it was a spot I wanted to paint. It's located right next the famous Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant, a small inlet off the Charleston Harbor. Consisting of a series of docks for shrimping and fishing boats, along with about a dozen seafood restaurants and bars, it becomes quite the scene in summer.  The light over the harbor is stunning, with dramatic cloud formations and sunsets continuely on display. All of these paintings where done in the morning, which is usually when I have the time to work, but someday I vow to make some paintings of those sunsets.
    
     The park consists of a series of boardwalks that zigzag back through the marsh and sea grass, with various shelters and connections to Shem Creek along the way as it empties into the harbor. Hovering over oyster beds and channels, the boardwalks penetrate this large expanse of space that would otherwise be off limits. Again, I was drawn to this idea of a man-made structure in contrast to the fluidity and changeability of Nature.

     Most of these paintings were preceded by pencil drawings in my sketchbook. I use these to determine the composition and how the space will function. Back in my studio, I can finalize the image and transfer it to a toned canvas. I'll re-draw with black paint and a liner brush, duplicating what was done with pencil and paper. Not only does this save me some time before I get on site, but it allows me to familiarize myself with the subject; drawing and re-drawing as a way of learning.

sketchbook drawing - 10" x 13.25"

oil on linen - 10" x 15"

      All of these are fairly small (10" x 15"), done in about 2 sessions on site. Usually if I put in 4-5 hours on site, I can wrap things up either from memory or the drawing. Because the tide becomes a factor, I had to do these on consecutive days, to ensure that the water and light levels remained fairly consistent.

sketch book drawing - 10" x 13.25"

oil on linen - 10" x 15"

      I did this whole series over a few months, with a big break over Christmas. I was amazed that when I resumed, there was this dramatic shift in the color of the sea grass. It had gone from green in the summer, to a golden orange in the fall, to a bleached out brown in the winter. I love getting to know a new area, with all the specific changes that occur throughout the seasons.

sketchbook drawing - 10" x 13.25"

oil on linen - 14" x 21"

     This last one (above), is the largest in the series, and was done over the longest period of time. The sea grass color had changed drastically over the month break. I took some photos to work on in my studio, because the weather had gotten colder and I wasn't able to work outside. I find it hard to switch back and forth between photos and painting from life. A photo is good to record the light, but the descrepency between the color of the photo and the color from life becomes a hinderance. For this one, it was probably equal parts site painting/drawing, photographic reference, and painting from memory. The last one in the series is still in progress, but I'm waiting for the weather to warm up in order to finish it:

(in progress) oil on linen - 12" x 18"