It’s a bouncing baby buoy!

"Penobscot Lupine Meadow" by Carol L. Douglas

“Penobscot Lupine Meadow” by Carol L. Douglas

This morning, I got up at 0:dark:30 to drive to Stonington, ME. There I’ll drop off my buoy for Penobscot East Resource Center’s annual Buoy Auction, which will be held August 3 at 5:30 pm at Fisherman’s Friend Restaurant.

Normally, I wouldn’t show you this without properly signing it, attaching its rope, and staging the photo. But it’s not dry, so it’s going to hang on a bungee cord in my car until we get to Stonington, at which time I will finish it and hand it over.

"Penobscot Lupine Meadow" by Carol L. Douglas

“Penobscot Lupine Meadow” by Carol L. Douglas

I love lupines, but they never grew well in the heavy clay soil of Rochester. They grow so well here that they’re sprouting volunteers between my patio bricks. Unlike their Texas bluebonnet cousin, these lupines bloom in a wide array of color in the same patch, from white to pink to purple to blue. The only other flower I know that does that is hollyhock.

Alas, the USDA says it’s an invasive species in the Northeast. But since it’s native to this continent and attracts bees and hummingbirds, I’ll enjoy it anyway.

"Penobscot Lupine Meadow" by Carol L. Douglas

“Penobscot Lupine Meadow” by Carol L. Douglas

Working on the Penobscot East buoy is always a refreshing challenge. In general, we painters struggle to convert 3-dimensional reality into a 2-dimensional image. We don’t usually try to convert 3-D into a different sort of 3-D. Just wrapping a painting around the buoy doesn’t work—it isn’t a cylinder.

After I drop the buoy off, I’m continuing on to Acadia. There I’ll meet my daughter (the same one who said I had lost all the poetry in my soul) to do a little plein air painting. If not for that, I could find enough to paint in Stonington to keep me busy for the rest of the season.

"Penobscot Lupine Meadow" by Carol L. Douglas

“Penobscot Lupine Meadow” by Carol L. Douglas

If you’re in Stonington, stop by the Penobscot East headquarters to vote for your favorite buoys (especially if that includes mine). The top three vote getters will each receive a “People’s Choice Award” at the auction.

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.