Friendship, Maine in December

It was a cold and gray Monday morning, a chilly 14 degrees as we headed up the coast of Maine.

When we arrived in Camden there was ice on the harbor and the schooners were wearing their winter coats. 

In the summer you can't see the water in Camden harbor because it's so full of pleasure boats...not true in winter.

The docks were quiet and the sky, land and water colors were muted and silvery.

I stopped by Camden Falls Gallery for a visit.  My paintings will be shown there this summer. Its namesake is a crashing waterfall at the head of this picturesque harbor.  

On our way down the peninsula to Friendship, Maine the road twisted and turned as we passed farms and rolling fields covered with fresh snow.  

In Cushing, Maine I spotted this incredible old farm. It looked like no one had touched it since the 1950's. It is in the neighborhood of the famous Olsen farm from Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World."

Even on a gray winter day there is nothing as beautiful as a midcoast Maine pennisula.

Friendship has a great harbor with lots of large and small islands. 

All along the edge of the harbor are docks and buildings for lobstering.

A change was coming in the weather. After an overnight snow storm and frigid morning, a warm wind started blowing off the water. 

The bright colored lobster traps glowed in the muted light.  

I walked around sketching different views.

Whitecaps appeared in the harbor. The wind really started gusting.

I knew I couldn't set up on the docks to paint. 

The dock community in Friendship is amazing. There are all kinds of buildings on the docks out over the water.  

I parked my car near the town landing. I found a perfect spot to set up my easel out of the wind.  

Some of the fishing shacks on the docks are brand new and well kept. 

I did several sketches from the view in front of me . 

I wanted to paint the soft colors of the small islands in the harbor.

The clouds were breaking up and the sky was getting brighter.

I kept it small and simple.

There were stacks of traps everywhere with their colorful floats tied up in bunches near them.

The floats were very interesting to look at. Their colors were eye popping...

...compared to the muted blues and grays of their surroundings.

To my eyes It felt like their colors were lit up from within especially after looking at all the subtle grays of the landscape.

Even the traps which are very colorful, looked slightly grayed next to the psychedelic float colors.

The afternoon started getting brighter with spots of blue sky holes in the clouds.

The wind was still totally wild. But I didn't care.

It was warming up. I kept painting.

There are many scenes waiting to be painted in this neighborhood. 

 A fishing shack had rows of floats hanging from the ceiling.

The docks reach out into the harbor one after the other all the way down the point. 

It looked warm and cozy inside the small lit buildings. 

Some of the shacks were heated like little houses.

Others were simpler, more like storage sheds.

It really feels like a little fishing village out there, though no one lives on the docks.

The sun set just after four.  The best and brightest light of the day came right before twilight.

As we left Friendship the Christmas lights were coming on in the village.

Someone had taken two of their boats out of the water, parked them next to their house...

...and dressed them in holiday finery !

It's time to celebrate Christmas in Friendship, Maine.

PAINT EAT SLEEP