Spring Comes to Perkins Cove

It was a typical spring day on the coast.  A  huge fog bank drifted in over the land then moved out to sea along with the tide.

Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine is shifting gears from its quiet winter season...

...to the popular summer hot spot it has become.

Everywhere, boats were getting ready for the season.

I  was so busy sketching I didn't notice the name on this sail boat until Marcus pointed it out..."Quick Draw".  

This tiny protected harbor has a fleet of lobstermen who are active all year.

The boats were returning from their morning run. 

Traps were piled on the docks. Lobstermen were loading new traps onto their boats.

Freshly loaded and ready to go for tomorrow morning!

Perkins Cove was created by connecting a man-made trench from the Josias River to the sea.

I sat on a bench sketching on Fish Cove, the original harbor the fishermen used. 

Fishermen liked Perkins Cove, and so did artists. In the 1890's Charles Woodbury founded a popular summer art colony in Ogunquit. His great grand children still live near the cove. 

Perkins Cove used to be busy with fishermen and artists working and selling their art to summer visitors.  Now the former fish houses are little tourists shops.

Marginal Way. 6x6 watercolor, Rives BFK

This is my watercolor kit for the day. Two small color sets and a tiny water jar. I can carry everything in one hand and my pocket.

There are so many tourists in the summer that artists can only easily paint in the cove off season... the town limits the amount of time you can park here during the summer. 

Using my water-filled brush makes quick sketching easier.

Rocks, Perkins Cove. Lobstermen Parking

6x6 watercolor, Rives BFK.  

The S.S. Crusher is the town's ice breaker. What a face! It is used on cold winter mornings to open the harbor so the boats can go out. In winter the cove freezes overnight because there is so much fresh water flowing into it from the river.

The landing above the docks offered a great view of the cove.

Fred, the harbor master, built his own boat last winter. 

I quickly sketched a few boats. 

The cove has a pedestrian draw bridge. It is the only user operated drawbridge of its type in the US.

The sun came out for a couple of hours drying the watercolors nicely !

Moored in a row. 4x6 watercolor, Rives BFK 

Michelle V. 6x6 watercolor, Rives BFK.

Baby Jess. 6x6 watercolor, Rives BFK.

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

 Who cares?  I've had way too many times when I questioned my judgement while heading out to paint on one of those gray, moody days with all kinds of things threatening ... then I saw the most amazing things!  So we packed lunch and headed out on a dark day to paint...

Parsons Beach treated us to some great frothy surf and big wind!

On the other side of the dunes the colors of the grasses and old drift wood were lucious.

Jane stopped right in the road and started to sketch.  

The tide was rolling in filling all the marshes around us. 

The wind picked up and the temperature really started to drop.  Jane's water colors froze ...BUT... the artist is the master of invention.. Jane put her paper and paint on the hood of her warm car and viola nice workable paints and a nice dryer to boot!   

With four hours of daylight left we went to a favorite spot on Pine Point. 

Nice, with summer over ....everyone is gone except the occasional painter and a few fishermen.

The harbormaster's office looked very quiet. 

The rain and the fog rolled in making for even a nicer mood. I was painting with my easel inside my car with the tailgate open.  Jane found a nice over hang on the deck of the Rising Tide that kept her out of the rain.  

The tide was now going out, fog was rolling over the marshes and the boats which were floating in the water when we arrived now rested on firm sand.

The wind changed direction. The rain started to blow. Jane moved into her car to paint...

...a cluster of boats moored off the dock.

Our last stop before we left was at the Pine Point Fisherman's Coop. They packed up a nice box of lobsters for Jane to take back home for all those family members longing for a taste of Maine... 

I love my neighborhood ! I can always count on the seacoast to offer color, mood and fast changing weather. Paintings from this trip to be posted soon on PAINT, EAT, SLEEP.

Big Wind on Bailey's Island

My friend Jane Ramsey arrived a few days ago for her first visit to Maine.  Where do you take someone who has never been to Maine?   We had only 4 days. I tried my best. 

 Everyday we painted at 2 different locations.  Every night we returned to base camp at my house on the southern seacoast. We headed out early and painted till dark. We painted marshes, harbors, fish shacks, historic neighborhoods, rocky coastline and big weather.  Mackerel Cove on Bailey's Island is a favorite spot of mine. There's this little tiny house on the edge of the cove that is a perfect summer getaway.

Its right on the the beach. The full moon high tide left seaweed tracks up on the front lawn. 

The fishermen pull their boats out of the water and park them on the edge of the beach  at this time of the year.  The weather is getting too rough for the small boats. 

The wind was so strong this day the lobster boats hadn't gone out.  If you got behind a pile of traps you could paint, there was no wind!   Strange... you could hear the wind whistle through them.

The 2 sides of the house away from the water still had paint on the shingles.  If you live on the water you have to paint the ocean side of the house often, the weather just wears it out. 

The wind got stronger. This was Marcus' first time out painting in high wind conditions.  He had to set up and sketch behind the open the car door the wind was so strong.   

The owner of these dories came by and told me how he used them to fish for herring in the coves.  These boats are huge. The look like the dories in Winslow Homer's paintings ! A company in Rockland Maine makes them out of fiberglass.  

Jane and I were set up behind our cars.  The wind was blowing at least 30 - 40 mph. We were fine if we stayed in our 4 ft wind free area. 

The weathered shingles....

The temperature started to drop after lunch.  Jane was working in watercolors, I was painting with oils. Her paints began to freeze. She took out hand warmers and placed them under her palette to thaw them out... it worked. 

I'm laying in my sketch of the house. I have ear warmers on under my sun hat...I'm warm and cozy... 

The rough sketch in burnt sienna...  

The wind started changing direction.  I was laying in color, the light was changing fast and I was not about to stop.  I had to grab my easel when a gust hit it. 

Marcus went out on the beach to sketch a good view of the dories.

The front came plowing through, we finished our paintings and headed over to lands end for sunset sketches. So much to paint and so little time!