[May 30, 2016]
You may have noticed the announcements for the book signing event at The Howland Center in Beacon on June 11th. One of my contributions to the event will be the unveiling of a new painting in my Beacon series that we will be raffling off. The painting and preparations for the event have been occupying much of my time.Those of you who have become familiar with the Beacon series will know the pen and ink I did of the Ferry pulling into the Beacon station. The new painting will be a color version of that drawing. The thing I am trying to capture that you can’t really get from the drawing is the way that boat would seem to materialize out of the morning mist, getting closer and closer without seeming to touch the surface of the river. The mist drifting above the murky water reflected the morning sun, just peeking over the mountain behind me, right back into the station. I’m borrowing from the Impressionists to get that effect, all that diffused light bouncing around in direct contrast to the shadowy, industrial gloom of the stations interior.
When I was a kid this was a real adventure, driving in our car onto a boat which would then carry us across the river. When the ferry approached, the station would come alive with activity. A motor would roar to life and the clanking of chains would begin, startling flocks of pigeons into flight. There was a bell ringing, and the ships had their own bells, whistles and horns, while announcements were made on a barely audible loud speaker. The water seemed to be pushed ahead of the blunt hull so that it churned all around the platform, creating a dirty froth in which floated the byproducts of industry, the bodies of the wildlife it destroyed, and the trash we couldn’t bother to dispose of properly. I don’t miss that part of it, and thanks to Pete, we don’t have to deal with that. But I have to say, for a little boy, driving in a car across the bridge was about as exciting as a walk through the woods to visit your grandmother. On the other hand, taking the ferry was like walking through the woods to visit Grandma with the possibility of wolves and maybe even a sea monster.
As I’ve been working on this painting I’ve been watching a BBC production called ‘The Impressionists’. It is very well done and presented in a more dramatic rather than documentary style, with actors playing all the major artists of that period. The acting, costumes, props and locations were all of the quality you’d expect from the BBC. I think it is a great way for anyone interested to learn a little art history, become better acquainted with artists you may admire, and be entertained at the same time. For instance, did you know that one of the things that began what we now call the Impressionist movement, was the invention of paint in tubes? Before that, artists had to grind and mix their own paints in the studio. Once the paint was mixed it wasn’t exactly portable. Paint in tubes got the painters outside. The rest is Art History. Till next time. Sam
You may have noticed the announcements for the book signing event at The Howland Center in Beacon on June 11th. One of my contributions to the event will be the unveiling of a new painting in my Beacon series that we will be raffling off. The painting and preparations for the event have been occupying much of my time.Those of you who have become familiar with the Beacon series will know the pen and ink I did of the Ferry pulling into the Beacon station. The new painting will be a color version of that drawing. The thing I am trying to capture that you can’t really get from the drawing is the way that boat would seem to materialize out of the morning mist, getting closer and closer without seeming to touch the surface of the river. The mist drifting above the murky water reflected the morning sun, just peeking over the mountain behind me, right back into the station. I’m borrowing from the Impressionists to get that effect, all that diffused light bouncing around in direct contrast to the shadowy, industrial gloom of the stations interior.
When I was a kid this was a real adventure, driving in our car onto a boat which would then carry us across the river. When the ferry approached, the station would come alive with activity. A motor would roar to life and the clanking of chains would begin, startling flocks of pigeons into flight. There was a bell ringing, and the ships had their own bells, whistles and horns, while announcements were made on a barely audible loud speaker. The water seemed to be pushed ahead of the blunt hull so that it churned all around the platform, creating a dirty froth in which floated the byproducts of industry, the bodies of the wildlife it destroyed, and the trash we couldn’t bother to dispose of properly. I don’t miss that part of it, and thanks to Pete, we don’t have to deal with that. But I have to say, for a little boy, driving in a car across the bridge was about as exciting as a walk through the woods to visit your grandmother. On the other hand, taking the ferry was like walking through the woods to visit Grandma with the possibility of wolves and maybe even a sea monster.
As I’ve been working on this painting I’ve been watching a BBC production called ‘The Impressionists’. It is very well done and presented in a more dramatic rather than documentary style, with actors playing all the major artists of that period. The acting, costumes, props and locations were all of the quality you’d expect from the BBC. I think it is a great way for anyone interested to learn a little art history, become better acquainted with artists you may admire, and be entertained at the same time. For instance, did you know that one of the things that began what we now call the Impressionist movement, was the invention of paint in tubes? Before that, artists had to grind and mix their own paints in the studio. Once the paint was mixed it wasn’t exactly portable. Paint in tubes got the painters outside. The rest is Art History. Till next time. Sam
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