Project #15: Sail on Still

Pencil on 85.in x 11in bristol

Sail on Still

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

Lovely weekend in Montauk (even if it was below freezing the entire time.)

Winter out east is wonderful. Nice restaurants have great deals, the summer crowds are nowhere to be found, a ghost town feel fills the air. It’s surreal to imagine the masses of people who park themselves on the Montauk beaches during the summer while you stand there in the freezing cold- miles of beach untouched by anyone other than yourself (and the one you’re with.)

Our weekend was simple and consisted of sleeping late, driving the desolate roads and eating-brunch, dinner, and snacks of cheese and red wine. On Saturday we had brunch at Anthony’s Pancake house around noon (Bird on the Roof is my all time favorite breakfast place, but is closed for the season.) We searched for rocks (for me to paint on) by the lighthouse, then took a drive into Sag Harbor where we stopped for coffee (and tea) and meandered around the winding roads and massive homes. We ate dinner at North by Northeast while enjoying views of icy Fort Pond, where I learned to sail summers ago.

We saw boats dry docked and covered in tarp, hibernating for the winter at Gosman’s along with a few floating out on the freezing water, sails down. These brave souls inspired my “Sail on Still” drawing. My favorite part of this sketch is the reflection. It almost looks like the boat is sitting on a sheet of glassy ice, which is what I imagined. Strangely, the reflection was the easiest part to create. I suppose the boat would have come easier if I were copying it from somewhere other than my imagination, but I didn’t think of that as I was sketching. All I could think was “hm, I thought I knew what a sailboat looked like.”

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Project #14: Storm at the Carnival

Black and white acrylic on 16in x 20in canvas board

Storm at the Carnival

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

Inspired by the song “Carnival Town,” by Norah Jones.

“…up ‘n down, ferris wheel

tell me how does it feel,

to be so high

looking down here

Is it lonely?

lonely?

lonely?…”

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Project #13: Bird on a Branch

Bird on a Branch

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

“Bird on a Branch” was done with 3 different weighted pencils on bristol. This bird took forever to sketch- feathers are so delicate and complex, but I felt like working on something that involved intricate detail, so I got what I was looking for.

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Project #12: Sun on Lake Champlain

Sun on Lake Champlain

Pastels are so difficult to work with and such a mess. I forgot how the pastel dust gets everywhere and it doesn’t wash off easily. I’ve washed my hands twice, each time trying to scrub off the stain, but I’m still going to bed looking like I just took part in finger painting. Hopefully I’ll remember to try again in the morning because it might be awkward to show up to work like this.

I haven’t picked up a pastel in at least 3 years. I’m not making excuses though. I shouldn’t make excuses for my artwork- it doesn’t have to be perfect, sometimes it’s just exploratory and fun. Thank you to Ilana for reminding me of that (and for providing the pastels and bristol!)

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

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Project #11: Constellations Over Manhattan

Mixed media: acrylic, ink, bristol, road map

Constellations Over Manhattan

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

When I look at a map I like to pick out the shapes of constellations I know. They’re all there if you look hard enough. Cities and towns mark the stars while streets, lanes and highways connect them.

For this image I used a map that included Manhattan and the surrounding area. I punched holes through various destinations to create the stars then connected the stars with a pen and ink to outline the constellations. I painted an entire sheet of bristol board with metallic silver acrylic paint and glued it behind the map so the “stars” would shine. The skyline was done with acrylic and a fine brush.

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Project #10: Road Map

Mixed media: acrylic, pressed leaves on road map

Road Map

At some point during the Fall I decided it would be a good idea to collect some fallen leaves to press in a book. I completely forgot I did that until recently when I was flipping through one of my New York hiking books and a dozen leaves fell from the pages.

I haven’t done a lot of mixed media work, but I decided to try it since I had all these leaves. What else are you supposed to do with pressed leaves?  And this map- who uses maps? I blindly follow my GPS.

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

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Project #9: Road to Arches

Road to Arches

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

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Project #8: Boo in Blue on Black

Acrylic on 8in x10in Canvas

Boo in Blue on Black

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

This painting took all night! It’s 2am- time for bed. I’m going to be beyond annoyed when my alarm goes off in the morning. Actually, I would have been done at 10pm, but I decided it would be a good idea to add grass to the painting. Bad idea. I covered the poor dog in grass then once I was finished with the last little sliver of it, I decided it was horrendous and preceded to paint black over the entire grassy area (including the bottom portion of my beautiful dog.) Well. That whole production took until now. Good night.

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Project #7: Open Road

Acrylic on 20in x 20in Canvas

Open Road

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

My inspiration for this painting came from my 2008 cross-country road trip. This painting represents a stretch of road in New Mexico, outside of Albuquerque, where you can see for miles and miles (and where you can drive really fast.) This country is so wonderfully diverse, from its people to its land. Drive a bit further north in New Mexico and you’ll find 10,000ft + mountains.

Marissa and I will be embarking on a northwestern road trip this summer. I can’t wait to see that part of the country. I better bring some canvases because I’m sure I’ll find plenty of inspiration out there.

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Project #6: Snowboards at Snowbird

Snowboards at Snowbird

© Sarah McCay and (Artistic) Trial and Error, 2010.

Don’t worry, I’m back from my 3 day hiatus. I got that word (hiatus) from Niki, who actually works in the entertainment field where the term is relevant. I like to use it for everything, like weekends or naps. Great word.

I had a great weekend visiting Marissa at Villanova. Partied like a college kid, was told I looked like I was 18 years old, tailgated at the Villanova vs. Georgetown basketball game (in the rain), watched Villanova win.. it was awesome! Marissa’s friends are all wonderful and really fun! The girls were talking about going snowboarding which reminded me that I really wanted to go at least once a month, but January might be unsuccessful. There are just not enough hours in the weekend, I’m telling you. It’s not any easier when the closest mountain is 2 hours away. February. It’s on for February.

All this snowboarding talk reminded me of this photograph I had taken in Utah last April while visiting some friends with Alexi. What an amazing trip that was, I wish I could go back right now. The original image was nothing special. A bit out of focus, low contrast.. I remember taking it. I raced off the bus to snap the shot of our 4 boards hanging out together on the side of the bus. I had to take the shot before everyone grabbed their boards and the bus drove away. That left no time for a preparation, so it was pretty bad. I sharpened it up in Photoshop and gave it more of a painting-like feel. I’m happy with the way it turned out. I’m halfway done with a painting of this exact image. Maybe I’ll get to finishing that up one day.

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