A Nice Lie

Matador    8x10    oil

Here's the last study I did while at the coast last week.  This was done on a sunny, breezy, afternoon looking across the launch and take-out ramp in Conn Harbor, Aransas Pass.  Looks quiet and peaceful, doesn't it?  But it's a lie!  Boats were often coming in through the foreground area to load onto their trailers at the end of a day of fishing.  Lots of noise, hub-ub, shouting and laughing about their day's catch, and loading instructions.

There was another little oyster boat on the other side of the pier, behind the one I've painted, confusing all the shapes.  I left it out but took the nets off of it and hung them on the Matador since it didn't have any.  I Imported the palms, which were out of view to the left, and planted them where they would tie into the exhaust stack of the boat. 

Where I stood to paint placed me in a continual flow of fisherman, and sight-seers and the free banter of their questions and comments.  "How long did that take you?" "Are you painting that boat?"  "What happened to the other boat?"  "I have an aunt who paints watercolors."  "I own a signed print of a cowboy."  "Are you famous?" "That's so pretty, I can't even draw a straight line."  Great practice for painting in all kinds of situations, and getting to meet all kinds of fun people.  I'm not a camera, I tell visual lies.  The little "Matador" just looked so at peace, fresh and ready to do what it was built for.  Game for the day.  Any day when I'm out painting is a good day.