"In for repairs at Moss Landing, California coast." 540 h x 740mm w Oils on canvasYou may remember that in my last web posting, I was looking forward to going to the USA to do some teaching on the coastline around Santa Cruz.
The time in the United States - roughly two weeks - gave Richard Robinson and I time to do two painting schools, a demonstration painting each at Lenz Arts, (an arts supplies store in Santa Cruz), and even some free time to do some painting around the area to get the brushes "warmed up". I thought I would include this painting of a rough old fishing boat in serious need of some repairs and a fresh coat of paint. It was one of those warm - up pictures. I really enjoyed doing it and decided to bring it home as a reminder of a great time. What a beautiful subject. A really traditional old fishing boat. It's very difficult to find boats like this in New Zealand now - they are mainly built in aluminium these days and tend to be very utilitarian. They lack the charm of this old timer. Together with the students who came from as far afield as Germany, Peru, and many distant places from around the USA, we worked hard to capture the inspiring coastline and to make the most of the beautiful weather we enjoyed. Many thanks to Scott Hamill and his wife Alice who proved again what great hosts they are. Scott even joined in with the teaching for his first time. I say even because Scott has not been painting very long - about seven or eight years I think, so he has done very well to be teaching so soon. The thing is that he is proving the point - studying paintings, doing heaps of reading about art, and many, many brush - miles are the secret to making real progress. That sounds like a word of encouragement for all of us I suspect. I think I'll close this and get on with some painting!! |
