Fulton Beach & Rockport with OPS
"Oh what a beautiful morning,"Oh what a beautiful day" as we sing in Oklahoma! This is not Oklahoma, but Texas at its best! It's been 7 years since I ws last at Fulton Beach and I have been anxious to come back to this ocean area. What more could you want than the sun coming up in an orange sky.
Finding a place to paint in an area that unfamiliar takes several hours usually of looking around. In an area like this there are to many places that are beautiful it is often hard to decide where to start. Not only must you consider the sun and the wind but also there is the tide that comes and goes. This last item can be very important - water or no water!
On Goose Island I found some beautiful tidal areas that I had seen the evening before when the tide was in and I thought I could just add some water to the dry area that was so beautiful the evening before. It turned out to not be quite so easy. However that is what plein air is about you can take out and add to make a scene what you think you want. Combining and editing are part of the tool kit of a plein aire artist. I think I was encouraged to throw caution to the wind because a lady bug landed on my hand and I took that as a sign to carry on!
Some locations are so good that all you much do is turn 45 degrees in another direction and you will find your next location. This was my experience at Goose Island. Behind me the tide was coming in during the two hours it took to paint the above scene and the light was beautiful. The water was calm and mirror-like reflective. A sea of Green. Goose Island is a habitat for the very endangered Whooping Crane. There were multiple species of birds which provided a magnificent concert.
The next morning once again provided some
inspiration in the form of another sunrise.
The second day started at Fulton Harbor. There you'll find the shrimp boats all lined up with nets and the accoutrements of the fishing trade. The wind was horrendous. I hid behind the bait house in an effort to get out of the wind. Didn't want my entire tripod and pallet to go flying into the ocean. I love all of the ropes, crossbars, weights and pulleys that they use to catch their daily catch. I like the rusty colors and the way the sun catches on the rigging. All of the walkways and other boats in the background sparkle and add to the hustle and bustle of the waterfront.
The next morning was at the at a Dry Dock Marina where boats are stored and repaired. They are lined up and stacked up topsy turvy. I could paint that place for a month and not run out of subjects. Again the faded colors, the rust, and the rigging surrounding the boats is quite fun and interesting to paint. This time of year some have been there long enough to allow the wildflowers to grow up under them. Most of the volume of a boats is usually in the water so it is easy to get under one of them into the shade.
The ocean presents a tough environment. Without a lot of TLC all in its path would soon decay. There is much evidence of this process at a Dry Dock Huddled on the shore line was an old fishing boats accessible by a walkway that was impassible. I was fascinated by the jumble of the boat and its surroundings.
The colors and angles of the decaying shrimp boat are an example how difficult it is to maintain a structure in the ocean environment. There are stories all of these boats could tell of hurricanes, of the winds, the rains and the ever present sun. Only a short stay was possible but it was most enjoyable.
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