Jake's Crab Boat, 12x9, oil, plein air, Blackburn Point, Osprey Florida, Crab boat, paintings of old boats, Southwest Florida scenes

 Jake's Crab Boat, 12x9, oil, plein air

I painted this depiction of an old crab boat on the intercostal waterway at Blackburn Point, Osprey Florida about ten years ago. Sadly, that little piece of land looks much different today, thanks to development.

That is the good thing about painting on location. You can capture beloved scenes and places before they disappear for good. I painted there a few times with friends. Afterwards, we'd go to a little fish hut on the other side of the bridge and have lunch. Those are pleasant memories.

I held on to this painting for ten years, just because I enjoyed painting that day, and felt I had had a successful outcome. But now it is for sale for only $100, through my website.

Go here to purchase!

"Cap'n Jake's Crab Boat", plein air, 12x12, oil on board

SOLD

"Cap'n Jake's Crab Boat", plein air, 12x12, oil on board

Yesterday was one of those rare May days in Florida without much humidity so I decided to go back to Blackburn Point and see if the old crab boat was there. Surprisingly, it hadn't budged an inch since I was there back in March.

So I set up and started painting. The sun was bright when I started but then turned very cloudy. I managed to get enough info down before becoming distracted by the changed light, and decided to call it a day.

The first time that I painted this scene I used a 9x12. I must admit that I like the rectangular format better than the square. The light was much brighter that day as well, and it definitely influenced the light temperature I depicted in the painting.

 "No Crabs Today!", plein air, 9x12

So much about painting is trial and error. Why did the first painting come together more easily than the second, I wondered? Did the clouds affect my mood yesterday? Did I give myself too many color choices by not limiting my palette? The questions that go through my mind after a painting session are usually endless, and I often lay awake for hours trying to figure out what went wrong with a painting.

But I guess the most important question of the day is this? Where are the crabs? Poor Captain Jake is surely gonna go out of business soon if the crabs don't come back! And yes, there has been a dearth of them on the menus in area restaurants as well. Good luck Captain Jake. If you need cash maybe you should charge a modeling fee. I really do enjoy painting this old boat!!!!!!

This painting is available through Galerie du Soleil.