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

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"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.

"No crabs today!"plein air, 11x9, oil on board, boats, fishing baots, snow crab legs, Osprey, Florida

"No crabs today!"plein air, 11x9, oil on board
(Note: Click on the photo to see the image better.)

This morning I went to Bay Preserve to paint with my friends. It was a zoo! I think the entire Sarasota County crew team was there, and with about 100 high school kids, boats going in and out of the water, no toilet paper in the bathrooms, and way too many cars going in and out near where I was painting, I decided to leave after about an hour of frustration.

I made my way over to Snook Haven, only to find the situation worse! There was a cop directing traffic and tram lines set up on River Rd, shuttling people (mostly Snow Birds, of course) to the newly renovated water front restaurant,which had always been a quiet, sleepy place whenever I had been there in the past. Bummer #2!

Disappointed but not willing to give up, I finally ended up at Blackburn Point, at the bridge that goes over to Casey Key. What luck! "Captain Jake", the snow crab boat was there, and with the water and air very still, it didn't budge even an inch for two and a half hours while I painted!

Here's a photo of my great spot but PSSST! Please don't tell anyone else about it!

I left a lot of the detail out on the boat, but I intend to go back there and try my hand at this one again, and maybe do a studio piece from it as well.

So happy it turned into a great plein air day in spite of the way it started!