After School Activities, Monhegan Island Schoolhouse - Completed

After School Activities (Monhegan School)

14 x 10.5", watercolor ©2014 Susan Herbst

($350, displayed at 13th Annual Fire Island Lighthouse Art Show, 

and my first solo show at East Islip Public Library)

I thought I'd finish up this post about the Monhegan School House painting. We left off with finding a reference for the lighting on the building and that worked out pretty well. But this is where I finished off.
Here it is framed and hanging at the Fire Island Lighthouse – with the artist!

I've submitted this to Leslie Saeta's blog as one of my favorites of 2014 – but how do you choose among your children?
:-)

Time to Paint! Back to Monhegan with Henny Penny

Henny Penny checking things out

Flashback: 

After nearly two full days of drippy, foggy, 103% humidity, decidedly non-plein air days (too wet to even paint on a porch or under some sort of shelter) the sun broke out!
The sun!  Whaaaat's thaaat, in the sky??!
I ran back to the hotel to get my easel. "I can finally paint! Outside! In the sun!" I thought. By the time I  got back to the hotel (drippy from my hike) ran up three flights, got everything thrown in my pack, back down the stairs, across the village, set up and sketched the scene, the fog bank had rolled back in, the light was gone and humidity was about 99%.

Henny Penny & Friends

I did enjoy watching the chickens hunting for bugs, especially one buff hen who went exploring off into the thick shrubbery and poison ivy and would pop up in the bushes beside me, in the grass in front of me and right at my feet. (Miss Henny Penny was the subject of one of the 30/30 Challenge Paintings as well.)

The Painting

This weekend I pulled out that painting I started at the schoolhouse on Monhegan. I can't believe I didn't take a photo at the schoolhouse of the preliminary drawing with a few very basic colors blocked in. It certainly will not qualify for "plein air." My main reference photo is the one at the top of this post. 

I took the photo and brightened it up and posterized it in photoshop. I also duplicated the sunflowers and flipped them around to the corner of the building. I'm not sure I love the color of the building...I'll make some adjustments.

In general, I'm taking some liberties with the color - brightening up the sky, making it early evening. I'll move some hens into the frame as well. Changed the horizon line a bit (it was out there somewhere in the fog).

Close up of Henny Penny

Close up of Henny Penny's friends

I'll post more of my progress in the coming days/weeks.
Please let me know what you think!

PS: For the progression of this painting click here.

Day 9 - 30/30 Challenge - Henny Penny Goes to School

Henny Penny Goes To School, 6" x 6" watercolor, $45

Available to purchase in my Etsy shop - just click!

One of the charming things about Monhegan is the chickens that sort of pop up all around the village. In someone's side yard or garden, or in the shrubs and weeds next to the road. You're walking along and out pops a chicken! Oh, Hi!
This pretty buff girl and her sisters hang around the schoolhouse, wandering under the apple trees and picking at insects. I really enjoyed watching them. They struck me as pretty world-wise for chickens.

The Ladies of the schoolyard.

Spot the Chicken.

She's a character. She pops up everywhere.

Exploring beyond the picnic table and the flag pole.