Saturday, May 31, 2014

Elegant Ballroom Street Dancers

Elegant Ballroom Street Dancers
on a midnight street in Trieste, Italy
on June 1, 2014 at 12:15 am, sketched on June 1, 2014
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Elegant Sensuous Street Dancers
by Bruce McMillan,© 2014 

On a summer night with summer warmth 
after afternoon raindrops have washed
the town clean, the streets of Trieste are
full with happy people, all ages
long into the night; it's a party.
On one black macadam street autos 
are replaced with midnight dancers, such
elegant and sensuous ballroom
dancers, couples twirling and circling
a small hill of their lady dancer's
purses. Round and around they go as
beautiful dance music cascades down
from the Radio Punto Zero
building. The crowd encircling the
dancers is enthralled and envious
of their smooth fluid movement and their
open passion while the music plays,
lulling the crowd into a dance of
the mind with these passionate couples.

Friday, May 30, 2014

A Gondolier Gondoling

A Gondolier Gondoling
in a canal in Venice, Italy on May 29, 2014, sketched on May 29, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite,
on 140 lb. Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping
A Gondolier Gondoling Too 
by Grandson Teague McMillan
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper

One of the things I enjoy about nine-year-old grandson Teague's art is that he will place objects anywhere in the painting where they might fit, very abstract in his thinking, laughing about it, and when asked he says that he's making a painting, and I love it and hope he never loses it "as he matures. -Bruce

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child." -Pablo Picasso
 

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

View from Our Balcony

View from Our Balcony
in Venice, Italy with Venetian raindrops for effect
on May 28, 2014, sketched plein air on May 28, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

 
The Plein Air Painters of Venice
on the balcony with the sounds of approaching thunder booming,
Grandson Finn, Grampa Bruce and Grandson Teague

 
Balcony View I by Finn McMillan
 
Balcony View by Teague McMillan
note the real raindrop effect
 






Monday, May 26, 2014

Reykjavik Harbor Entrance

Reykjavik Harbor Entrance
in Reykjavik, Iceland on May 22, 2014, sketched on May 25, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmorem500 Series cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Study of Óli and Bína . . .

Study of Óli and Bína
in Kolaportið
the big indoors flea market by the harbor in Reykjavík, Iceland
on May 24, 2014, sketched on May 25, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping


Bruce and Bína on Laugavegur in Reykjavík by Óli

Red Shank Strolling . . .

Red Shank Strolling in the Shallow
Red shank (Tringa totanus) or Stelkur in Icelandic,
on a small water pocket in the lava fields in Garðabær, Iceland
on May 21, 2014, sketched on May 23, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, wax resist,
on 140 lb. Strathmore Series 500 cold press watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Friday, May 23, 2014

Björn Descending a Tussock

Björn Descending a Tussock
named Þúfa, all 122 steps, by the harbor with Mount Esja in the background
at Reykjavík, Iceland on May 22, 2014, sketched on May 22, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, with wax resist 

on 140 lb. Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping
Photo by Bruce of the Þúfa (pronounced Thuvah, translates to Tussock) art installation by Ólöf Nordal by the harbor at Reykjavík, Iceland with Mount Esja in the background  on May 22, 2014. The Þúfa is an an artist-made hill capped by a small fish drying house with drying fish inside. A Þúfa is a tussock, a tuft or clump of growing grass.
Article about it with more photos HERE
The artist's web page HERE
Bruce atop Þúfa, photo by Björn Jóhann Björnsson

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Lava Field Walk

Lava Field Walk
on the way to Lake Vífilsstaða in Garðabær, Iceland
on May 21, 2014, sketched on May 22, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press cotton archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Yellow In Plane Air

Yellow In Plane Air
high sun above a cloud blanket at 35,000 feet
between Canada and Greenland heading northeast
on May 20, 2014, sketched on May 21, 2014
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors with Icelandic water,
#3 graphite, on 140 lb. Strathmore cold press cotton watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Strange but True Fact: Winglets wing tip devices reduce an aircraft's drag by partial recovery of the tip vortex energy, and thus they increase fuel efficiency in powered aircraft and increase cross-country speed in gliders, thus increasing range.
 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Island Summer House

Island Summer House
in the spring off Cape Porpoise at Kennebunkport, Maine
on May 15, 2014, sketched on May 18, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press archival cotton watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping
 

Left Behind on a Rock

Left Behind on a Rock
a plastic toy shovel on granite rocks by the boat launch
at Cape Porpoise in Kennebunkport, Maine
on May 15, 2014, sketched on May 18, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press archival cotton watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping 

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Gull Flight

Gull Flight
an American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) over the
rock beach by the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine
on May 15, 2014, sketched on May 18, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press archival cotton watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Just One Oar

Just One Oar
in Cape Porpoise Harbor at Kennebunkport, Maine
on May 15, 2014, sketched on May 16, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 cold press acid free watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

"Lemonade Here . . . "

"Lemonade Here,
Ice Cold Lemonade Here"
in the left field stands at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts
on May 7, 2014, sketched on May 14, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press acid free cotton watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Wild Life in the Fens

Wild Life in the Fens
a Canada goose (Branta canadensis) feeding in the Fens
behind the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts
on May 7, 2014, sketched on May 14, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press acid free cotton watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Flag of . . .

The Flag of World Series Grass
the left field grass and dirt border down the right field line by the stands
at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, in Boston, Massachusetts
on May 7, 2014, sketched on May 13, 2014
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors, on 144 lb.
Strathmore cold press acid free postcard watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Note: In May 2004 as a fan full of optimism I emailed a photo of the Fenway grass that I'd taken at the one game I attended that year. It went out with the title, World Series Grass, an optimistic prediction since our Red Sox had not won the amusingly-named World Series (someone was thinking big) since 1918. In 2004 the Red Sox, despite many people who gave up on them along the way, never me, not even when we were down 3 games to 1 in the play-offs against the dreaded New York Yankees, won the World Series. This is my 2014 edition, celebrating the tenth year of that Series win and hoping that we do it again. Just a little flag waving.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Japanese Girl Trying on . . .

Japanese Girl Trying on
a Summer Kimono
at the Gion Festival in Boston outside the MFA
celebrating the 55 year of the Kyoto-Boston Sister
City Relationship, more about the Gion Festival HERE, in
Boston, Massachusetts on May 7, 2014, sketched on May 11, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
Strathmore cold press 500 Series watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Friday, May 9, 2014

Sunny Walkers by the MFA

Sunny Walkers by the MFA
in Boston, Massachusetts on May 7, 2014, sketched on May 9, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
Strathmore cold press 500 Series Premium watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

The Fenway One Step

The Fenway One Step
performed by Shane Victorino at Fenway Park in
Boston, Massachusetts on May 7, 2014, sketched on May 9, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Ballet Pregame at Second Base

Ballet Pregame at Second Base
stretching with Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia at Fenway Park
before the Boston Red Sox 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds
in Boston, MA on May 7, 2014, sketched on May 8, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Snow Show Hare

Snow Show Hare
A Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) changing from its winter white coat
to summer rusty brown by the first pond in Shapleigh, Maine on May 5, 2014,
sketched on May 6, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 300 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Forsythia Hanging

Forsythia Hanging
Forsythia (Forsythia intermedia) in my yard
in Shapleigh, Maine on May 4, 2014, sketched on May 6, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 300 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
f
ramed, $150 (NFS - artist trade...)

Monday, May 5, 2014

The Rider Teague

The Rider Teague
equestrian grandson Teague McMillan in Switzerland on May 4, 2014 
from a photo by proud father Brett McMillan, sketched on May 5, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper

NFS

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Turkey in the Yard

Turkey in the Yard
in my yard as seen from my window in Shapleigh, Maine
on April 28, 2014, sketched on May 4, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping
Garza Papel recycled cotton cold press extra white watercolor paper
Note: This was a free paper sample sent from the Spanish manufacturer.
I had high hopes but I won't be painting on it again; it lacks the crisp feel
of other papers and seems to suck the color from the color, feels and
looks like mush, requiring over-painting, quite unsatisfying.
The paper truly makes a difference.

However: I'd recommended the free samples to online watercolor
painter friends including Celia Blanco in Rome and she's used it for
two paintings with success, Feeling Rosy HERE and Parsley HERE

"The paper allows for smooth washes and it had a nice grain and
absorbency. Delivery to my doorstep is an added plus!" -Celia Blanco

Yellow Forsythia Yellow

Yellow Forsythia Yellow
Forsythia (Forsythia intermedia) in my yard
in Shapleigh, Maine on May 2, 2014, sketched on May 3, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 144 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Friday, May 2, 2014

Tire Above Alignment

Tire Above Alignment
at Jim's Alignment Service in Springvale, Maine on May 1, 2014,
sketched on May 1, 2014 on location
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 300 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press extra white watercolor paper, NFS

Note: This was painted while my Ford Focus front tires were being aligned.
I gifted the painting to tire aligner and owner, Richard Lawrence,
Jim's Alignment Service, 594 Main St., Springvale, ME. 04083, (207) 324-4448
Web Page HERE.

Richard Lawrence, Tire Aligner with his new painting

The sign above on an antique pedal pusher

The test drive