Where did he go?

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This past summer on vacation, in Maine, my wife and I came upon quite a sight. It was late in the afternoon with the tide largely out leaving open areas of sand with evolving pools of water. This photographer stood in one of the tidal pools as various shore birds circled around with some dive-bombing into the water to catch fish. The precision, skill and movement of these birds was awe-inspiring not to mention dizzying.

In the fall I did a little painting in my watercolor sketchbook(above) as a away to consider how I might develop the composition. I have since decided to invert the position of the figure so that he is facing to the right, yet is positioned off center. I have raised the individual's head above the shoreline thereby increasing his presence and raised the sky so that I can add a bird or two on axis with the direction his camera is oriented.

There is a stillness in the composition of the water, sand and individual which is a stark contrast to the sudden burst of movement provided by the bird activity.

Here in Vermont, we have had snow around for a while. Therefore, I thought it would be desirable to paint a summer scene.

Now I need to start the painting.