Be careful what you tell your kids

Painting for the first time in my new studio. There is a handy beam from which to suspend the buoy.

Painting for the first time in my new studio. There is a handy beam from which to suspend the buoy.

I like looking at real estate listings for old homes; my daughter Laura likes looking at real estate listings for really expensive homes. “I can’t visualize myself living in them,” I told her.

“That’s good,” she countered. “You never get house envy. But when I look at older homes, all I see is wiring that needs replacement, floors that need reinforcement, and windows that won’t open.”

“You’ve lost all the poetry in your soul,” I grumbled.

This was last year's buoy, a giant lobster attacking the restaurants of New York.

This was last year’s buoy, a giant lobster attacking the restaurants of New York.

This afternoon I started a long-overdue project, my annual buoy for Penobscot East Resource Center’s annual buoy auction.

Penobscot East was formed in 2003, when a group of community members and fishermen within the Stonington Fisheries Alliance decided that they needed an organization with greater reach and resources. It now serves the most fisheries-dependent area of the eastern United States: 50 fishing communities between the Penobscot River and the Canadian border.

This was 2013's buoy, a mermaid and her merbaby.

This was 2013’s buoy, a mermaid and her merbaby.

The group operates on the premise that fisheries management should be based on both current science and the working fishermen’s deep knowledge of the sea.

I love painting the buoys. But, usually, mine have been signed, sealed and delivered by this date, and are on display somewhere in Stonington. Moving has thrown my schedule, and today was the first time I’ve gotten to paint in my new studio.

In contrast to those, my kids thought my blocking of lupines was way too normal.

In contrast to those, my kids thought my blocking of lupines was way too normal.

“Paint the Monster Moose of Mid-Coast Maine!” suggested my daughter Mary.

“Paint a giant lobster attacking a boat!” suggested Laura.

“Kids, I’ve missed my deadline, and I need to get this finished. I don’t have time to draft a giant lobster attacking a boat! I want to paint lupines. I understand them, I love them, and I can do a good job in a short time.”

“Pfft,” said Laura. “You’ve lost all the poetry in your soul.”

But oddly, I accidentally made a perfect boiled-crustacean red while mixing my greens. What do you suppose this means?

But oddly, I accidentally made a perfect boiled-crustacean red while mixing my greens. What do you suppose this means?

Let me know if you’re interested in painting with me on the Schoodic Peninsula in beautiful Acadia National Park in August 2015. Click here for more information on my Maine workshops! Download a brochure here.

Carol Douglas

About Carol Douglas

Carol L. Douglas is a painter who lives, works and teaches in Rockport, ME. Her annual workshop will again be held on the Schoodic Peninsula in beautiful Acadia National Park, from August 6-11, 2017. Visit www.watch-me-paint.com/ for more information.