A Lovely Day for Plein-Air by the Seaside

One of my favorite places in the world is a little stretch of grass sloping into the deep blue Atlantic Ocean in York, Maine. Over the summer, I was able to spend some time here while enjoying my first night at the York Harbor Inn.

I love to sit in beautiful places and discover their unique spirit through presence and observation. This is one dimension I especially cherish about painting en plein air—the chance to enjoy the present moment, expectation-free, with nothing but my sketchbook.

Working on proportions and architectural structures in loose watercolor, I positioned myself facing the York Harbor Reading Room. The intricacies of the windows and the soft yellow façade, surrounded by soothing landscaping, offered a fantastic challenge.

I loved the way the sun moved slowly behind the clouds. This movement, however, is one of the components that makes plein-air painting so challenging—the light is constantly changing. Unless you can capture the core light structures illuminating your subject immediately, there’s a risk of creating a piece that feels a little off or confusing.

Overall, although some components aren’t to scale or shaded as deeply as their physical counterparts, I was pleased with how this sketch turned out.

Soon inspired to include more life study in my day, I approached a woman relaxing with her young son. I asked for her permission to sketch them, and she heartily agreed—though she warned me that his antsy wiggles meant nap time and their seaside departure were fast approaching.

I set to work immediately, sketching as quickly as I could to capture the moment. Ten minutes later, the sketch emerged soft and warm. The mother was very pleased with it—so much so that, moments after departing, she came around the corner to ask if she could buy it.

This has been happening a lot lately, and I happily agreed. Knowing I’ve created something special that commemorates precious moments with loved ones is one of the things I love most about my work. As it was near Father’s Day, she delightfully shared that she would be framing and gifting it to her husband. Overall, it was a very successful life study painting.

Adjusting my view out to the seaside on my right, I wanted to get a bit of landscape practice in with the ocean. So far, loose watercolor landscapes haven’t been a specific area of study, and I was excited to explore it.

I was pleased with the angle of the sun and got to work right away. The rocky shoreline always seems to sigh with wistfulness and rugged beauty. I relaxed into the brushstrokes and was tickled pink with the end result: Rocky Shoreline.

This afternoon of plein-air sketching by the ocean billowed my sails and inspired new work to add to the collection.

Enjoy this sunny, summer afternoon with me—in a pack of notecards or a giclée print. The original 5" x 8" paintings of York Reading Room and Rocky Shoreline are available for purchase; inquiries can be sent to bonjour@adventurineartstudio.com.

Where is one of your favorite places in the world?

Would you ever be interested in someone like me capturing the beauty of your happy place to enjoy in a design until your next return?

Let me know in the comments below. Until next time…