It was a glorious day, and my back felt great, so I got outdoors for three hours of plein air painting! I think it turned out nicely. I was going for a placid, springtime feel.
Geoff Watson, “Softball field at Norwood Park,” May daily painting #7, oil on panel, 8” x 10”, 2019.
This painting is off to a better start than the Red Sox themselves, who opened the season with a miserable 3-8 road trip out west. I’m going for a sort of empty-but-beautiful vibe with this picture, with lots of attention on the famed Green Monster, the gigantic left-field wall. So no crowd, no ballgame: I plan to add a couple groundskeepers or ballplayers walking on the outfield or infield, but not thousands of screaming fans.
There’s lots more to be done, of course. (Unfortunately, production has slowed because I threw my back out; I’m getting better, but it’ll be a week or so before I’m back to my normal painting and blogging schedule.) The outfield and left-field lines and grandstands need straightening, as do the signs over the Green Monster. The infield may need to be reduced a tad. I haven’t put in stadium lights yet. Of course I have detail to add too: the scoreboard on The Monster, writing on the signs, the foul lines, and above all the iconic Citgo sign in center field!
Geoff Watson, “Fenway Park (in progress),” oil on linen panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.
Here’s a tiny thumbnail sketch of Fenway Park, one of several studies for an eventual oil painting. The original is 2” x 3” or so, maybe smaller than the image you see on your screen. Ordinarily I don’t post my thumbnail sketches here, but it’s Opening Day, so why not? (We will not speak of the unfortunate result of Boston’s Opening Day baseball game against the Seattle Mariners.)
The main idea here is to highlight the Green Monster by graying and darkening things around it. The Green Monster is Fenway’s huge, iconic left-field wall. I think Monster is a rather unfair name for such a beautiful piece of architecture, but there are lots of left-handed pitchers who disagree with me.
Geoff Watson, “Fenway Park (thumbnail sketch),” study, ink and wash on paper, about 2” x 3” (2019).