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SUMMER 2003 IN
MASSACHUSETTS: PAINTINGS
AS THEY PROGRESSED, (updated)
 At work on the first location |
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Thursday
July 24th
- flight to Boston, Massachusetts and
journey north-east, to the small town
of Manchester by-the-Sea. The
next morning set aside for rest and
relaxation to get over the jet-lag. Later
on Friday
and the rest of Saturday
was spent gathering
materials and equipment, followed by
cutting out six (6) pieces of linen
for frames, 32" x 24". Sunday
was a day of rest, some spiritual enlightenment
and meeting with some old friends over
a few pints. |
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 First painting "blocking
in" |
Monday
through Wednesday
was spent on research,
becoming familiar with the neighbourhood, and
walking the grounds of this magnificant estate
perched on a penninsula jutting out into the
Atlantic Ocean with its own special gardens
in-between outcrops of weathered granite. S.T.
Winthrop House stands proudly at the end of
a long wooded drive, with Singing Beach to its
north, an inlet at its south, and the constant,
soothing sound of lapping waves. Thursday
31st July, was the first
day of painting - blocking out the white primer
of the canvas with basic tones and colours seen. This
first work focusing towards the southern face
of the house, its grounds so well defined by
large granite outcrops and careful positioning
of trees, shrubs and flora designed by Supat
Sripongsi.
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 New
gilt logo |
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Friday
August 1st -
Woke up to whistling wind through
an open window, a fine misty rain
and reduced visibility over the
water. Painting outside
appeared out of the question, so
work was continued on the website,
also reworking an old logo design,
dating back to 1979. With invaluable
assistance from Artist, Jeff Menasco
and his Apple system, the hitherto
black logo took on a new look. Set
up websites for Ruth and Josh.
Saturday
- more rest and relaxation, updating
this web-page and making contact with
family back in England. While the
weather improved a little, Singing
Beach remained almost empty.
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 Singing Beach after the storm
 Sea mist hanging over the water |
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Sunday
3rd August the weather not much improved. Mist
hanging over water and Beach, presents some
interesting possibilities. Armed with digital
camera, a number of painting ideas were
established - maybe for the third canvas
planned to be started on Monday. In the
afternoon, thunder
heard accross the bay with the sound of
water endlessly dripping against the window,
seemed to reflect the atmosphere of the
day.
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Monday
4th August - still raining!
Continue logo design work and
block out two more paintings -
three canvases complete the first
stage (first paint) and are ready
for final rendering.
Tuesday
5th August cool, clear
though still threatening rain
- more expected in the evening. Rested
following the previous late night
of painting. Reconditioned
a studio easel left in the attic
by one of the previous owners
of Winthrop House, thanks to some
matching supplies and help from
Dick, at Manchester
Hardware. |
 Early Morning first paint |
 Singing Mist first paint | |
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Monday
11th August the weather
still poor - so work is done to
complete the first batch of three
paintings.
Tuesday
12th August - starting
to warm up, and we missed the
apparent excitement of the media
and reported power outages accross
the east coast into Canada. The
last weekend was spent in the
company of the Rev. David Jinno's
extended family up in Maine. My
daughter and I took a few macro
pictures around "Duck Trap"
and we shared some memories
together, visiting "Silkweeds"
further up on Route 1 in Searsport,
Maine, where I had once established
a family home, studio and Gallery
over twenty years ago. The
first painting, now called "Surfbreak",
finished today, with "Singing
Mist" following close behind.
Monday
18th August - started
the forth painting of
a crowded Singing Beach. The
first paint puts in general
areas of approximate tone
and colour, without any
of the detail.
Today was altogether a
much brighter day - even
the rabits were out to
play.
Wednesday
20th August - the
weather is much better.
Even managed to see
the Portland Sea Dogs
play last night - and
may well be the subject
of my last painting
of the summer. It's
good enough to enjoy
the sun glowing on the
pink granite and the
sea swirling at high
tide - the subject of
the fifth painting blocked
in today.
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Singing Beach first paint
High
Tide first paint |
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