I forecast a fantastic week ahead

Fitz Henry Lane, Owl’s Head, Penobscot Bay, Maine, 1862, 15.7 in. by 26 in., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Read about it here. This is where it all starts.

This morning I saw a Facebook posting from one of July’s workshop students. It read, “On my way for a week of painting in beautiful Maine!” She’s excited; I’m excited too. I will be joined by artists from Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, Rochester, Vermont, and Maine. By week’s end, we will have forged new friendships and made some fantastic art.

The little harbor at Owl's Head today.

We’ll have a reception this evening at beautiful Lakewatch Manor. Tomorrow we will set off to our first destination: Owl’s Head, with its iconic 1826 lighthouse and beautiful rocky promontories.  Fitz Henry Lane painted it in 1862, when the little community of Owl’s Head was raw but not new. It was “discovered” by Samuel de Champlain in 1605, but of course the Abenaki Indians had never really lost it in the first place.

There are still schooners sailing around Owl's Head today. They come out of Camden, Rockland and Rockport harbors, and we'll see them regularly. You can learn more about them here.

And how about this weather forecast?

Today: Sunny, with a high near 73. North wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 71. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Tuesday: Showers likely, mainly between 7am and 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 70. Northeast wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73.

Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75.

Students painting on a shingle beach below the lighthouse.

A student does a value study preparatory to painting.

The second of my Maine workshops starts today. August and September are sold out , but there are openings in October! I'm also starting a contact list for 2014. Interested? Let me know. Check here for more information.