Sunday, July 15, 2012

Penobscot Bay, Maine

Twelve years ago we "got away from the city" & spent a week at a cottage on Penobscot Bay.
For me it was a return to a beloved area from a "previous life", for J it was brand new.
 Sea breezes, clear days as well as beautiful fog...walking, kayaking, bike riding, watching birds & wildflowers... 
Seafood dinners by the picture window, nightime wood fires in the fireplace. And, of course, sketching...
A sort of imaginary bird's eye view of our adventures...
Lobster fishing boats & small spruce & granite islands...Changing light on the sea all day long...
Oh! the floating colors & reflections of sunrises & sunsets!!
Views from the cottage. Sometimes the fishing shack was completely shrouded in fog...
Fog rolling in & out of a cove is a marvel...How lovely to just sit & watch...
Lately I am being pulled back up that way. Yesterday I attended a French immersion class on humanist philosophy (formidable!!) at the Penobscot Center for Language Learning & International Exchange in Rockland.  
J visited the library, restaurants (Blueberry Pie!) & The Farnsworth Art Museum. 
In a week, I'm going back to Rockland & Owl's Head for a David Dewey watercolor class (learned about from Carol at Paris Breakfasts.) There will be new sketches &, I think, some new challenges in a favorite old place. 

8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Merci de votre passage sur mon blog
    Cela m'a permis de découvrir le votre qui est très beau
    J'aime beaucoup vos aquarelles parisiennes
    A très bientôt

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  3. Looking at these watercolours is like being on vacation at the cottage. It reminds me of Muskoka in Ontario, Canada - the cottage country.
    Rita, I am so glad that my blog gives you a chance to practice your Polish. You are doing great!

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    1. Thank you, Zosia. Canada is such a beautiful country, & I hope to see more of it one day! And about my Polish, thank you!!

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  4. These sketches are lovely! And they feel like Vacation to me. Thank you!

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  5. Well, I am impressed with your immersion class in such a formidable topic!

    These lovely watercolors reminded me of the scenes Carol painted in Maine. I look forward to seeing your new sketches and perhaps some photos of that serene place.

    Your art has such a natural ease and flow.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  6. Parlons de ta carte de la baie de Penobscot. Elle me remet en mémoire un livre de géographie de la France pour enfants qu'un de mes oncles nous avait offert à moi et à mes soeurs. Ce livre, je l'adorais! Il représentait les spécialités des provinces de France; par exemple, la Champagne était illustrtrée par une grosse bouteille de Champagne (Veuve Cliquot?) chevauchée par un petit garçon. Un de mes livres préférés!
    Dans la première aquarelle, est-ce après-coup que l'idé t'est venue d' incorporer les deux petites fenêtres - deux aquarelles à l'intérieur de la grande - avec mouette et canards sauvages? On pourrait parler d'aquarelles dans des aquarelles dans des.. comme pour les poupées russes. Une petite trouvaille.

    Let's speak of your Penobscot Bay map. It reminds me of a certain children geography book on France that an uncle of mine had given us, my sisters and me. That book, I loved it! It showed pictures of the French provinces specialties, for example, Champagne was illlustrated with a big Champagne bottle straddled by a little boy. One of my favorite books!
    In your first watercolor, is it as an after-thought that you incorporated two small windows - two watercolors inside the big one - with a gull and wild ducks? We could say watercolors inside watercolors inside... just like Russian baboushka dolls. A great idea!

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