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!

Painting at Turbats Creek

I went over to Turbats Creek to see what was happening.  I hadn't been there since spring. Its an awesome, quiet spot in Kennebunkport...down the end of a dead end lane.

 The first shack on the corner has a sign for the abc Real Estate Company... which probably never even existed. 

This collection of sweep outs blew off their pilings in a storm.  They had to be dragged back and put on new ones....but .... no plumbing or electricity so its a day cottage.  

Marcus set up to sketch the cluster of houses on the point. 

I saw this skiff up near the pilings at the boat launch.

With nice warm sun pouring over the grasses- it was a sight to see. I did an 8x10 sketch of it.

We stayed till sunset.  When its great weather  you have to grab every minute of it.

The tide is so low here that you can walk out to the nearby islands. You just have to make it a short trip so you get back in time, or time it to stay over night with your gear and sleeping bag and catch the low tide back in the morning.  I've seen those little groups of campers coming home in the morning...the stuff you hear and see while painting.

Day III ~ Turbats Creek & Walker Point

Turbats Creek is a real treasure ! It’s a piece of Maine that used to be the norm around here. Up north you can find fish shacks but I didn’t know there were any around here till Paul, John & Stapleton painted them on Wednesday.

While painting at Walker Point the fog drifted in and out from a big fog bank out over the open water.

The view looking south from Walker’s Point toward Thunder Hole.

Turbats Creek has a village of fish shacks on stilts that at high tide are sitting over water. They are used as cottages for the summer months. Awesome places! A local told me they are called “sweep outs”.

Three of us were painting down by the boat launch. This location was so popular this week I think 1/3 of the painters went to paint there.