Elizabeth of Newport is an oil on canvas painting created in the winter and spring of 2019. The white wooden frame was built by me to reflect the woodwork on the fishing boats depicted in the painting.
Many times I work from reference photos and this particular photo of the docks in Newport was my favorite. What attracted me most was the contrast of the white woodwork on the boats and the chaos of the rigging stacked on top of the bait barrels. Of course the colors of the barrels set the tone for the overall mood of the image. As important as the parts are to the finished painting, what gives this painting its power is the impact of the various bright colors in the foreground and the shades of tans that look like the scruff marks that show the abuse in how the barrels are used in everyday fishing. This painting could almost be seen as a still life…. It’s certainly a “slice of life”.
Sometime in the late spring I applied to the American Society of Marine Artist for acceptance into the organization. Elizabeth of Newport was one of the paintings I submitted. Eventually I got a call from the director saying they could not accept digital art. It kind of took me aback since I frequently am asked if my work is a photograph rather than a painting. I explained to them that it was in fact a painting and that I was that good at it. I also sent them a paper plate that I used as my palette to show the colors and how I mixed the paint over the course of the painting. They re-examined the work and I was later accepted as a Signature member of the ASMA.
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