Tuesday, 21 July 2009

Rocks in Rockport

Continuing with the rocks theme - this is my drawing of a view which apparently is very popular with the people who draw and paint when they visit Rockport Massachusetts. So much so that I decided to call this drawing Motif #2 - given that Motif #1 was already taken! ;)

Rockport Motif #2
9" x 12", coloured pencil on Saunders Waterford HP
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

I've managed to find exactly where I sat on Google's Street view and you can see what I saw below. Except they took the film on a cloudy day while I had a lovely blue sky and balmy weather in the mid September 2006.


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That path you can see below is where I sat - as you can see on the right as recounted in my this sketchbook blog post about my trip to Rockport - Sunday 17th September: Rocky Neck and Rockport, Massachusetts.

I found the trick with the rocks was to look for colour and striations in order to provide interest and form. That and work fast when it's late afternoon because the shadows change fast!

6 comments:

Pam Johnson Brickell said...

Katherine,
Beautiful! This is a classic example of the joys to paint plein air. I've been to this exact spot and your piece enables me to feel the air once again. You just can't get that with a photograph.

Lindsay said...

I really like the street view of your working site. I'm sure your geologist training came into play. I bet you can identify those rocks.

vivien said...

excellent!

I agree about the striations - cracks and planes and subtle colours too.

Jeanette Jobson said...

This is a lovely scene.

The pile of rocks can give the artist something to grab onto but can also become a confusing mass unless you break it down further as you have done.

annie said...

As everyone says,your geologist training surely helped you get these great rocks, planes, colors, striations of our dear old Rockport. My brother got to paint the original shack before the storm of 1978. It was a place our New England family loved to visit.
annie

Anonymous said...

Beautiful scene Katherine! I love your cast shadow...it looks so cool and inviting. I should get onto rocks too. Have plenty of them here!
ronell