At the end of June, my 12-year-old son Morgan and I drove to Cape May to spend a few days with my sisters and parents. One of my sisters had rented a house right in the little town of Cape May, very near the ocean. We have all gone to Cape May for a week, many years in a row, with the pandemic being the exception. When I go, I love to wake up at 4:30 am to paint the sunrise.
One morning, Morgan woke up early and he came along with me! I couldn’t believe he wanted to wake up so early, but I was happy he came. He brought his new drone which he got for his birthday in March, and he used it to make this amazing video:
Morgan and me. (photo credit: kindly passerby)
It was a glorious brilliant pink sunrise. What would I do without my beloved “opera rose” paint? (Holbein Quinacridone Opera) Morgan was a great companion. It was truly a wonderful time and I was very proud of my painting. But then, as I was packing up and taking down my easel, I dropped the whole painting face-down on the sand! Luckily I was able to salvage it, removing the worst clumps of sand, and then a little bit of re-painting.
Maybe even better than before…
“Morning Lighthouse” oil and sand on board, 8x10 inches
We packed up and walked back to the rental house, arriving before anyone else woke up. The rest of the day was spent with activities such as these: relaxing, playing with Morgan’s little cousins, working on a puzzle, napping, and going back to the beach for a swim. I made a couple other paintings at the beach that week, but I’m not quite finished with them, yet.
“Pink Sailboat at Dawn” gouache on paper, 6x4 inches