Beach in Fall

8 x 10 Oil on Gessobord

While I was painting this, I kept thinking about the Eagles song "Boys of Summer."  "...Nobody on the beach..."  In my opinion, after the boys of summer have gone is the best time to be at the shore.  Just you, the gulls, and the mighty ocean.  A quick study that I like a lot :-)

Gull Convention During Rough Seas

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

I have become really fond of gulls.  I realize they are pests at times, but when they are soaring, they are quite beautiful...and of course, anything that has to do with the ocean has a special place in my heart.  Monhegan Island is like Vegas to the gulls that hang out there.  The tourists sit on picnic benches eating and spilling, dropping food, discarding leftovers, and then get up and just leave a big mess.  It's pay day!  Not only that, but some of the cooks bring the fish remains and toss them in the air.  What a sight that is.  I tried to catch the gulls in action with my camera but they were too fast, and I'm pretty sure I was running in the other direction.  They were pretty intense!   Jamie Wyeth did paint them, and of course, brilliantly.  If you get a chance, check out his incredible work.  Here are gulls during their down time.