Sometimes your boat comes in — and you wish it hadn’t.

Tony D’Amico files this report from Northport, New York, on Long Island: “I am sure this is an experience that every plein air artist can identify with. The harbor was filled with white sailboats and white powerboats. I wanted something with some color and reflections, and after searching for about half an hour came upon this old blue boat with a bright yellow crane on it. It created a wonderful reflection in the water, so I set up, did a quick sketch, and began to paint. I wanted to get the block-in down and indications of color, especially to capture the reflections before they changed. I was about 45 minutes into the painting when out of the corner of my vision I saw a large boat coming into the harbor. The harbor is quite large, but where do you think the boat docked? I packed up, left, and went to breakfast!”

D’Amico says he never got a chance to return to the scene, and although he might finish the painting in the studio some day from memory, it will “not be the same as a plein air experience.”

(Due to the age of this post, some images may be missing from this article)


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