For Kate's birthday last month we traveled to Rhode Island in search of these colorful harlequins. We were not disappointed. The colony was there in force at Beavertail State Park and Sachuest Point Park, which hosts the second largest wintering population of harlequin ducks on the Atlantic coast.

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You won't see them this summer, as they move on very soon. As you can see in the bar chart above, they're pretty much gone by May, and don't return until October.

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It was a blustery day at Sachuest Point Park when I captured this image. The wind-blown spray was everywhere, but this raft of Harlequins was very active in the pitching waves. What I lost in the spray I gained in the action and atmosphere around these birds. 

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I still have a long way to go, but I'm enjoying creating the impression of the water and spray by going back and forth between short pointilist brush strokes and unifying glazes.

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A big change

Now is when I usually tell you that this painting is for sale here on my website. But I've made a change.

This month I’m headed to Eastport Maine and Full Fathom Five gallery.

They have most graciously offered to represent me. As a result, all of my shorebird paintings are migrating north. They are still for sale, but all that will be handled by Full Fathom Five. My local Vermont bird paintings will still be for sale on my website.

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The anchor piece of my gallery collection is the big 3x5 foot oystercatcher. I'm really looking forward to seeing that piece surrounded by the two studies and a nice handful of smaller wood panel shorebird paintings.

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If you're making summer vacation plans, I can recommend the little town of Eastport to really get away. If, like me, you struggle with all the traffic at places that are being loved to death, then Eastport is truly the best medicine. I don't know if there will be a gallery show opening that I can attend (it's a ten hour drive for me) but I'll keep you posted. It would be a dream to see you there!

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