A woman in a deep teal skirt and red kerchief stands on a rocky shore with a basket, her white apron blown sideways, while dories work the surf under a storm-dark sky

Click the painting to stand closer, close enough to see the paper

The Working Shore

Inside the Bar

Medium Watercolor and graphite on wove paper
Paper 300 lb cold-press cotton
Size 16 × 29 in
Painted 2024

The wind was doing most of the composition that afternoon. Her apron, the sail behind her, the spray off the bar, all pulled the same direction. She stood there maybe four minutes, watching the boats come in. Long enough. The sky is one continuous wash I had to commit to and then leave alone, which is the hardest part of the whole medium: knowing when you are done helping.

Placeholder artwork: “Inside the Bar (1883)” by Winslow Homer, public domain via The Met.