Tuesday, April 11, 2017

The Government Wharf - WIP

The Government Wharf - WIP
24" x 24"

In Newfoundland there are two types of wharves.  A private wharf, usually called a "stage" is made of thin trees stripped of branches and some planed wood.  They're found all over the province and show a variety of building skills and supplies - and are in a variety of repair and disrepair depending on the health of the fishery in that area.

Garden Cove fishing stage - colour study

The other type of wharf is the government wharf, built with federal funding.  These are traditional, sturdy wharves that are usually associated with an active fishing community, built of preserved lumber and well maintained for the most part.  When I was working on my gyotaku project and asked about boats in communities, I was always directed to "the government wharf", where fishermen often landed their catch.

Petty Harbour II
30" x 40"  Peter Lewis Gallery

I have painted a lot of boats with a lot of wharves around them and love the colours that are found from the values of wood sitting in water, algae found on the wood and reflections that disturb the water of a still harbour.  This government wharf, located in Trinity, seemed to be a good choice as it fit all the criteria I wanted.  I gessoed the wood panel and drew the structure in charcoal, using a yardstick to measure the gaps to ensure there was uniformity.

Updates will be posted as I progress.

This folk song - On the Government Wharf - sums up the loss of the fishery and its impact on a community.



4 comments:

Jennifer Rose said...

lots of great colour in the study :) looking forward to the painting

RH Carpenter said...

Wow, what color in that color study!!! I really like the monotone "sketch", too, although it's more developed than a sketch. Lovely water reflections.

Jeanette Jobson said...

All those palings...what was I thinking?? lol Slow and methodical.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Rhonda, studies are great because they release me from pressure to perform and I can be loose. I often like the studies more than the finished painting.