Rainy Harbor, 11x14

This should be titled 'Perils of Plein Air'.  I'll save you the details but suffice to say it involved a strong wind, heavy rain and high tide....and several moves.   I ended up under a cedar tree and painted what  I could see through the branches.  The cloud cover, rain and tree shadow meant it was so dark I had to frequently stick my brush out into the light so I could tell what color had been mixed.  What you see here looks decidedly more pleasant than the experience....except that I was painting.

Once I was admiring a harbor watercolor by John Singer Sargent that looked so effortless despite all the natural elements he must have had to deal with.  Later I read that he painted it over the course of two days and had several of his friends come down to the docks and tie ropes on the boats, holding them in position so they wouldn't drift about.  The umpire should have called a foul.