Ocracoke Watercolor art sketch: "Open For Business"

I previously mentioned that Ocracoke has a beautiful little harbor in the center of town called "Silver Lake". The hotel where we stayed had a view of Silver Lake Harbor, and and each morning we could sit outside,  sip our coffee and enjoy the peaceful relaxed beauty of scenes like this one:

"Open For Business" Watercolor & Ink on Paper

The only morning activity we saw was that of people strolling near the water, and fishermen quietly preparing their boats for the day's outing. But at one time this area was harassed by the infamous pirate known as Blackbeard. Blackbeard wreaked havoc all up and down the east coast and into the Caribbean. But his reign of terror was brought to an end when he was finally caught near Ocracoke by the British Navy in 1718.

Back from Ocracoke

Both painting and internet were sketchy down at Ocracoke, so this is a recap now that I'm back home. We really enjoyed our stay at Ocracoke! It has gained some popularity due to the great reviews of its pristine and natural beaches, but it remains a sleepy little 16 mile island only accesible by boat or ferry. No McDonald's or Starbucks there! Just lovely little harbors, small local restaurants, and shops ranging from artisan/galleries to a few peddaling souvenir schlock and surf gear. It is a great place to ride bikes, photograph, paint/sketch (if the wind is calmer) and watch the sunrise and sunsets. If you are into fishing, surfing and other watersports it seems like it is great for that too. We stayed in the village along Silverlake harbor and had all different kinds of weather. The last two days of our stay were absolutely gorgeous, though the wind was around 20-25 miles an hour so often that I decided to forgo the oil painting and stick to sketches like the one I did here of the Harbor:

"Flying Colors" Watercolor & Ink on Paper

Ocracoke- Painting in the Wind!

I don't know if you've been watching the HUGE storm pattern that has been tormenting the Southeast lately, but it's a doozie. Luckily, Ocracoke has had only a mild version of the storm that has wreaked havoc on its neighbors.

We have had sun, rain, sun, rain, clouds, sun and clouds.

Changing light and most especially wind are the nemesis of the plein air painter, but then again, that is part of the fun of it.  Here is a scene of the harbor on a sunny and very windy morning.

Obviously this painting isn't finished. In fact there is LOTS to do if I want to develop this piece. The mast and water need work, as does some shading on the boat. But considering that I had to catch my panel mid-air!! before it went splat in the sand due to the high wind (did I say this was fun?!)  I think I got a fairly good impression of my subject matter. In any event, my companion seemed much more interested in his plastic water bottle-toy, and pretty much unfazed by all of my antics (alas, we were never properly introduced!)

Aside from the wind and a few moments of summer showers, we've made out pretty well. Noses are sunburned, and we've enjoyed the wild beauty of this area. The beaches aren't too bad either!

Ocracoke Island

Yes, I am still here! Not much opportunity to post new work yet because this week turned into "clean the studio and ship paintings" week. And today we are heading out to Ocracoke Island for what we hope will be a long relaxing weekend.  We have been to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (Nags Head, Corolla) many times, but I have always wanted to go to Ocracoke and have never gotten around to it, as it is about a 40 minute ferry ride from Hatteras. From all accounts the word most often used is "quaint" in describing this island village. It is a very natural beach with no major hotels or developments -- a real rarity these days. And for what it's worth, "Dr. Beach" has this year rated Ocracoke #1 as the best swimming beach nationally.

We're driving so I can load up the van with my paint gear! Hooray! Hope to post whatever plein air paintings and sketches I do while there.

Judging art

I've been having a great visit with Mom and siblings these past two weeks, so I have been away from the studio and consumed with matters other than painting. I don't know how other artists manage, but I am a bit of a one-trick pony. I have to either visit or paint. I am too distracted with one to attend to the other, even if alternating days. In any event, last week I did manage to do one art-related activity. I was invited to jury an all media show at one of the local art centers in town. I was delighted to see such a large array of talent in the entries. The down side is that it made it that much more difficult to narrow things down.

As I explained to the entrants the night of the opening, there were several factors that played a part in my process as juror. First, I don't care how impartial one tries to be, a certain amount of personal preference influences what a given juror will select. Believe me, I tried to be as objective as possible but art for me is often an emotional experience and I am sure my own tastes played some part.

Second, I looked for a certian amount of mastery in technique. This can be a bit more objective, as you are looking for mastery in the use of materials, composition, color mixing, drawing, etc.  There were several pieces that found their way into the show that were not my favorites personally, but I could not deny the technical ability achieved by the artist.

Third, I looked for the overall statement of the piece. What was the intent or statment and was the artist successful in relaying that message, intent, feeling or statement to the viewer?  Did the handling of the materials support or distract from the intent? This is tricky because while intent is important, you also want to avoid a "message" that is so heavy-handed that it hits you over the head with a two-by-four.

And finally I looked for how all of the pieces would work together as a show. While I wasn't involved in hanging the show, I acted as if I were. I imagined how the work might flow and dialogue together so that the guests would have an interesting overall experience.

Juried shows can be quite a hodge-podge of styles, subjects, and mediums, but overall I think the show turned out very well for one of this nature. It was interesting to see my own reaction to the way the work was hung. It was very well done, though in certain instances I imagined different works hanging together. But that is the fun of art! Everybody has their own interpretation and creates their own dialogue which only adds to the experience.

Coincidentally, today I came across a great article entitled "How to Judge Art: Five Qualities You Can Critique," which reinforces my ideas and adds some very good additional food for thought. It comes from a blog I just recently discovered and know I will revisit many times called EmptyEasel. The author, Dan provides some wonderful info and resources for artists.

Speaking of empty easels, I'm looking forward to remedying my own case of that syndrome when I return to the studio next week!