The other keeper’s dwelling
Posted: September 28, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized 25 CommentsEastern Point Lighthouse in Gloucester, Mass. has two keeper’s dwellings. Most often people paint the white one with the red roof that was built in 1890 and is attached to the lighthouse itself. In fact, I did that myself last year and you can have a look here and here. This year, I chose instead to paint the newer one, built in 1908. If you park in the lot at the end of the road, this newer grey dwelling is situated on top of a little hill, and I find that makes for an interesting composition. Half subject and half foreground can sometimes be problematic because you are dividing the sheet in two equal parts, but if there is enough going on then sometimes it can work. I thought that the sharp diagonal of tree shadows on grass might help to break up the large rectangular shape of the foreground. Size: 15″ x 11″.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
wow – awesome!
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Thanks Jodi.
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The sky is fabulous, and I don’t know how you manage to make such perfect power lines.
Also, the grass is glowing with light
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Louise, the trick with power lines is to do it confidently. Load up the brush with the right amount of paint and just do it! I use a rigger for this. Even if you run out of paint near the end, the lines will be ok. It’s when you fiddle with it too much that you get into trouble.
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Simply wonderful. You really nailed the shadow and light.
As usual.
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Thanks Tim!
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Another visual delight. You can ignore all those rules and still produce a winner.
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Thanks Ros!
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The links make this three for the price of one! Just perfect and makes me want to be there … even if it does look a bit windy. Reminds me again to re-read my Ed Whitney books.
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Tony, I bet you would love Rockport and Gloucester. So much to paint, and a lot of scenes that look like they come straight out of an Ed Whitney book, even though he painted in Maine, not Massachusetts.
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It definitely does work. It is beautifully balanced by the asymmetry of the building, the pole on one side, trees on other and the diagonals. Love it.
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Thanks Judy!
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First your eyes focus on the house, then theh light house tower ine the back, but then you see
the grounds around and the long shadows and the sun-lighted grass and then you go back to the main subject with electrical post and wires. I love it.
Good work.
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Many thanks Andre. One always hopes to create an interesting composition that allows the eye to travel within the painting.
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Great compositon. My eye goes from the house to the power lines, to the foreground and then to the lovely trees on the side of the house. Lovely piece!!
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Thanks Joan!
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♥
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Merci!
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I learned a lot from this post just seeing how you handled all that foreground green grass. Different shades of green and interesting shapes.
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I’m glad this was helpful Elena. If you want to see some great foreground treatments in watercolour, look at Edward Hopper. His foregrounds are amazing.
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Agree with everyone else– the light, the color, the forms, the power lines– just beautiful balance with just enough tension, in so many ways.
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Thanks so much Julana.
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The tree, the house, the pole,the sunlit grass, your shadows all these great shapes and the quiet little details bird, fence, highlights, orange roof with blue sky… just so good! Any pre planning?
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Many thanks Gil. Good question about the pre-planning. Yes, is the answer, but not on paper. I sometimes just work it out in my head beforehand. This was the second painting I did that day so I was probably hungry and thirsty. I dove straight into painting.
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Very Shari! Always a good eye! How are you keeping up? Sorry we were not able to participate in the Shiva. We had other funeral-related activities all weekend, and in the days before for Debra… We’re at another funeral in the eastern townships this weekend, and another one slated for the 22nd… Jean
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