What I Learned from Painting this Boat

This blue boat catches my eye as I explore an island in Maine. It's beached at an odd angle above the high tide line. Not far away, a flock of birds gathers on the wires. 

As I paint the picture, I answer your questions about the gouache technique, the overcast light, and the composition. 

But I still wonder about the story of the sailboat, so I ask my friend Clayton Bright, who lives nearby, to explain. He says the boat was used to teach kids to sail. It became obsolete, but the valuable lesson of slowing down and appreciating the present moment—a lesson he learned from his grandmother—remains true.

Read the Q and As on Substack