"Marshall Point"

36x36" oil on canvas

I've been working on some larger pieces lately and I'm enjoying the challenges of painting big. Getting the drawing right is probably the biggest challenge. I remember seeing an old black and white photo of one of the impessionists with a paintbrush in one hand and a photo in the other. Must have been Degas. It looked awkward to me at the time, but now that's exactly what I'm doing. For smaller studio work I usually paint from the computer, but on a large canvas I find it much easier to get the drawing right by using a photo as reference. The other challenge is keeping the brushwork loose, especially when painting structures. I was pretty happy with the way this one came out, especially the rocks in the foreground. This painting is of Marshall Point in Port Clyde, Maine.