Potomac from Fletcher's

This is the first painting I did on Sunday morning. I went to Fletcher's Boathouse near Georgetown around 8 a.m. and hiked up-stream a little way. The tide was low so I was able to trek out onto the rocks and paint off shore. The sky was cloudy and gray with times when the sun would break through setting the leaves aglow through the damp air.

As the sun moved higher in the sky the clouds began to break up. I decided to hike up-stream a bit further to see what I might discover when I came upon an area where there were many rocks that lead out into the river. The tide was still low so I was able to work my way out onto the rocks to get a different perspective of the Potomac. The sky was changing rapidly causing the trees in the distance to go in and out of shadow--very cool to watch but difficult to paint. As I was painting the rocks in the foreground, I realized that some of the rocks were gone--the tide was coming in. I painted a bit longer hoping to get a bit more done but decided to pack it in and get back to shore before my path was completely underwater. My under painting is visible in the lower corners of the piece--I rather like it with the corners unpainted.

JJ

This portrait of JJ was done in about 2 1/2 hours. JJ is a superb model. His features are striking and he easily reassumes the pose following a break. I really enjoyed paint this portrait and look forward to painting him again.