Rob’s Waterco☺ler

Swimming at Swinging Bridge on the Maury River

Inspired from a weekend trip to the Goshen Boy Scout Reservation during the 2010 Centennial Camporee.

15 x 22 Impressionist Watercolor on Winsor Newton 140lbs paper.  Artist grade pigments

What a wonderful weekend for swimming in the shallow rapids of the Maury River at the Swinging Bridge in Goshen, VA.  The water was ice cold but is was over 90 degrees outside.

I completed my 1/2 sheet watercolor of this very interesting Americana type of scene.  Many things are out of place with this picture, but makes perfect sense with all the correct perspective and facts.  The boy is nobody in particular, placed in any town.  The toddler bike is not his and while there should be a motorcycle somewhere, it is not there.  The boy’s hands and head are protected  and mom is probably happy about that.  The rest will heal eventually and bandages are cheaper than leather.

15 x 22 on Winsor Newton 140lbs paper.  Of course the pigments are artist quality.

One of the most exciting and dramatic events in the underway Navy is replenishment at sea. In 1998 I shot a  picture of this scene from the USS Cape St. George CG-71 and have painted it into an impressionistic and dramatic sunset.  We were in waiting station (300-600 yards behind the CV) and the sea was a bit lively and catching the warm light.

15×22 300lbs Arches paper with 7 Winsor Newton watercolors: Permanent Yellow, Scarlet Lake, Antwerp Blue, Cobalt Blue, Terra Verde, Indigo and lots of Burnt Sienna.

I recently unearthed my Winsor Newton handheld watercolor sketchbox and started falling in love with it all over again.  I have been through several fits of getting the colors I like to use for “Field Sketching” and this is the current result:

Cadmium Yellow                     Scarlet Red             French UltraMarine
Transparent Yellow                Alizirin Crimson    Winsor Blue red Shade

Permanent Green                    Raw Sienna              Raw Umber
Winsor Green Blue Shade    Burnt Sienna           Indigo

And I really like  to have my Escoda travel kolinsky sable brushes size 10, 6 and 2.

Below is a picture of the set up along with a color study using Burnt Sienna as the interest color in the middle and seeing how the other colors react to it.  Notice Transparent Yellow is completely eaten up by it and the difference between how the two blues react.  Note: CR stands for Cadmium Red but is really Scarlet as I have been trying to get away from the Cadmium’s of late.  The dollar bill is for size reference.  No you cannot have it

During my 2004 deployment we carried two SH-60 LAMPS helicopters.  This painting was inspired from a photograph of a live fire shot with both helicopters flying; one shooting a Hellfire missile and the other observing along with the ship.  15 x 22 watercolor on 300lbs paper. The water is Antwerp Blue and Cadmium Yellow to make a nice turquoise and I added a bit of wax before I started for some interesting white skips in the water.

In June 2001 my family and I were fortunate to be able to participate in the last wedge rally for a ship launched on the inclined ways at Bath Iron Works, Bath ME.  Subsequent to the launching I was the commissioning Electronics Officer and took the ship through several deployments, including Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.  Below is a news article clip that explains the significance of the event.  What is not explained is the day before the launch, all the shipyard workers, crew and guests drive wedges between the ways and the structures the ship was built on.  This painting is from that event, know as a wedge rally.

CHANGING WAYS TRADITION YIELDS TO EFFICIENCY AT BIW On Saturday, the Mason will be the last BIW-made vessel to slide into the Kennebec River during its launch.
By   DENNIS HOEY Staff Writer
Portland Press Herald (ME) June 21, 2001
Page 1A

At precisely 3:25 p.m. Saturday, Bath Iron Works will end 117 years of shipbuilding tradition. That is when the 5,800-ton Navy destroyer Mason (DDG 87) will be released from its cradle, beginning its descent along greased, inclined building ways. The vessel will reach speeds of up to 12 mph before its hull crashes into the Kennebec River. It will be the last time a Navy destroyer is launched at BIW using the inclined building ways.

The finished watercolor done wet-in-wet style.  1/2 sheet, cold pressed Winsor Newton paper.

and some along the way shots…

And some pictures from the results of the hard work…

Been working on this for a few days.  Inspired from a 2004 trip with the USS Truman Carrier Strike Group.  Formation traveling through the Straits of Hormuz.  View from the flight deck of a Flight 2A Aegis DDG with the back nets down.

HB, 2B and 8B graphite on 100 lbs Lana paper, 14×17

Came home from work and needed to at least finish the rough of this 14×17 drawing.  Now it can sit a few days until I figure out what to do with it next, or be done with it.

The weekend after Christmas is a great time to do art with Dad!  I am working on a drawing of Pre-USS Mason DDG 87 being built in Bath Iron Works, Bath ME in 2002.  Kids are going through the box of pictures and drawing dogs

Ship progressing well.  14×17 inches on Lana 100lbs paper…nice paper to draw with.  My favorite

Kids in the art room.

Show and tell time.

Stoney Man Trail Hike – Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park

3 mile hike in the Shenandoah – No worries!