I do a lot of sketching out on site using a small sketchbook and a splash of watercolors. These are so fun to do, and I can get them done in 20-45 minutes, which is great for keeping them fresh and lively. The feel of them is something I would love to translate to a larger format, using oils as my colorant, while still maintaining the joy of my personal sketches. To this end, I am beginning to experiment with the process. I love the act of creating the contour sketch before I begin the watercolor phase, and am looking to recreate this in the larger presentation format of oil painting. So, for a few paintings now, I have drawn my images out on the canvas in a loose contour using pencil, then coming back over in oil, going for a finish on the first pass. I haven’t quite worked it all out yet, and have continued going back and refining a little. ultimately though, I aim to take this idea out on site and see what happens- here is the largest attempt so far in studio, a 30x40” oil on canvas crested using a sketch of the area and a pic. This was a stormy morning from the public boat launch on the Morehead City waterfront- which is on view at Oysterbelle, my interior decor friends down the street from my studio.