Morning Drift
Newport, RI - Between Second and Third Beach
The fog was still lingering out toward the water when I parked. I'd driven past this stretch between Second and Third Beach a hundred times over the summer, always with the thought that I wanted to paint it, and never anywhere to park. But the tourists had gone home by then, and the beach lots had opened back up to anyone who wanted them, and that morning I pulled in at sunrise, walked down to the marsh, and found the spot I'd been looking for without knowing it.
Sunrise on the marsh between Second and Third Beach.
This is what I'd been driving past. A narrow river cutting through the marsh, the tree line low and soft in the distance, and fog sitting in the background like it hadn't decided yet whether to stay. What I knew I wanted to paint was the contrast between the warm sun hitting the grass in front of me and the cool, quiet fog a few hundred yards out. Two moods in one scene.
Burnt umber drawing on panel
I started with a value sketch in marker, working out the shapes of the tree line, the river, and the far dune before I touched the panel. Then I drew the scene in on the panel in burnt umber. Nothing precious, just getting everything organized before I started mixing color.
Block-in stage
From there I blocked in the sky first, which I almost always do outdoors because the light changes faster than anything else. That pale pink in the clouds was real, low and soft. Then I moved into the marsh, pushing the greens warm in the foreground where the sun was landing and cooling them down as the land moved back toward the fog.
What I was after was the quiet side of Newport. When people think of Newport they think of the harbor, the mansions, the sailboats. But there's this whole other Newport just a few minutes away, where the land flattens out and everything slows down. That's what I found that morning. The sun warming the brush near me, the fog dancing in the background, the river catching just enough light to lead the eye in. That's what I wanted on the panel.
I'd driven past that spot all summer, and every time I pass it now I feel lucky I pulled in that morning. Morning Drift is a 6x8 oil on linen panel, available here. If you'd like to see more Newport paintings, they're here.
— Calina
