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I just finished painting this 24 x 36 inch oil on gypsum gessoed, basswood panel, and it will soon be on its way to Nantucket, Massachusetts. The painting is called, "Bringing in the Catch, Fish Beach, Monhehan Island".

Below is the drawing for the painting, and it is made on cotton vellum. I used it to transfer my image onto my traditional chalk gessoed panel once I was happy with the composition. It is also 24 x 36 inches.

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The image was developed from different historical photographs of Monhegan Island, studying the paintings of George Bellows and James Fitzgerald of this subject, and my own drawings of gulls in flight, the harbor and fishermen from my Carina House residency through the Monhegan Artist Residency Corporation (MARC) back in 1999. 

Below is a photo of the back of the oil painting sitting on my easel. As you can see, it is a basswood cradled panel with up to 10 coats of gypsum chalk gesso, a highly prized semitransparent surface used by the masters that is made of Terra Alba (Alabaster Dust), Ribbit Skin Glue, and Zinc White pigment. 

My students will appreciate this since we prepared 4 panels last night in our Impasto Oil Painting En Plein Air class, that began last Thursday night at the United Technologies Center. There is still room in that class and we might be able to take a few more Watercolor Landscape participants on Tuesday Night as well.

It's shaping up to be an exciting year of painting! If you would like to inquire about room in my classes CLICK HERE.

Stay warm dreaming of Summer!

Michael E. Vermette