SAILING SCHOOL DOCK, WILMETTE HARBOR

Sailing School Dock, Wilmette Harbor, 16 x 12 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   SOLD

Wilmette is a suburb north of Chicago on Lake Michigan.

THE LAST TOMATO IN PAT'S GARDEN

The Last Tomato in Pat's Garden, 12 x 16 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    SOLD

Whenever I do a a "Traveler's Sketchbook" exhibition like the recent one at Beverly Arts Center I describe the subjects as "ranging from the artist's own Chicago backyard to the back roads of Europe."  Here is a painting from my back yard.  I painted it late in the season when the climbing beans had gone crazy and there was a single tomato still ripening.  I asked my wife to leave some of her tools out so that they could be in the picture.

ABANDONED TRAWLER IN TOFINO, B.C.

Tofino Trawler, 12 x 16 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   AVAILABLE

In the fishing port of Tofino on British Columbia's Vancouver Island, I found this old wooden trawler abandoned in a vacant lot half a mile from the sea.

ABOARD THE M.S. CHALLENGER, LAKE UNION, SEATTLE

Aboard the M.S. Challenger, Lake Union, Seattle, 16 x 12 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   AVAILABLE

Some years ago my wife and I flew out to Seattle, spent a few days there, and then drove around the Olympic Peninsula.  In Seattle we stayed aboard the M.S. Challenger, an ocean-going tugboat that had been converted into a bed-and-breakfast.  Several of the larger (?) spaces on the boat had been refitted as guest accommodations.   Also available but not recommended were the actual crew quarters on the boat, which were dark and barely large enough for a skinny bunk and enough space to stand up and pull your waterproof clothing on.  The Challenger was docked on Lake Union, which is surrounded by Seattle, near the terminal where the float planes that provide passenger service to Victoria, British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands land.  I sat on the top deck one afternoon and painted this watercolor.  

Another Round of STRAIGHT UP CHICAGO: ART WITH A TWIST

Backyards, Chicago, watercolor by George C. Clark    AVAILABLE

I have posted this painting here before, but it is back because it is in another show.  It is one of two paintings I have in the exhibition STRAIGHT UP CHICAGO: ART WITH A TWIST at the Southport and Irving Cafe and SIP Lounge at 4002 Southport in Chicago.  The show has been extended and will be up through the end of December.

CHICAGO COMES TO BELMONT, NEW YORK

Backyards, Chicago, 15 x 20 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   AVAILABLE

I have posted this painting here before but it's back because it is currently featured in the exhibition CHICAGO COMES TO BELMONT at the Fountain Arts Center in Belmont, New York.  More information about this group show is HERE.  The show's curator was looking for art that says "Chicago" and I can't think of anything more "Chicago" than this view across my fence of my neighbors' backyards.

BEHIND THE SCUOLA DI SAN ROCCO IN VENICE

Behind the Scuola di San Rocco, Venice, 12 x 9 inch watercolor by George C, Clark    SOLD

I went to the Scuola di San Rocco to see the amazing giant murals by Tintoretto.  Afterward I painted this little watercolor of the canal behind the building.

NEW TRAVELER'S SKETCHBOOK EXHIBITION IN CHICAGO

Backyards, Chicago, 15 x 20 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    Available

Eight of the paintings from my "Traveler's Sketchbook" series along with two large studio landscapes are currently on exhibit at Alderman John Arena's 45th Ward Office Gallery at 4754 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.  The Ward Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm, and the exhibition will run through April, 2013.

THE OLD CASTLE AT MEERSBURG, GERMANY

Old Castle at Meersburg, Germany, 12 x 16 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    SOLD

I painted this on a sunny early May morning on a hill outside the lovely old town of Meersburg on Lake Constance in southern Germany.  Later I hiked through the vineyards overlooking the lakeshore. 

HOUSE ON THE KOHLMARKT, VIENNA

House on the Kohlmarkt, Vienna,  16 x 12 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   SOLD

The kind of small family-run accommodations Americans call bed-and-breakfasts are called pensions in Europe.  Frequently they are converted houses, villas, farms, or small apartment buildings.  However, in the larger cities they will sometimes occupy only a portion of a larger commercial building.  The pension I stayed at in Vienna was on the fourth or fifth floor of a large 19th Century building on the Graben in Vienna's altstadt.  It has been my experience that when visiting a city where driving and parking are impractical it is best to stay close to the sites you want to visit.  The extra cost is well worth the time you would waste commuting from cheaper digs in the suburbs.  An extra bonus for an artist is that sometimes you get a view worth painting.  I did this watercolor of a building on the adjacent street, the Kohlmarkt, from the window of my room.  

GRAND CANAL, VENICE

Grand Canal from Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, 12 x 9 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   AVAILABLE

I painted this little watercolor sitting on the steps of the great church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice.  The water taxi was actually tied up at the fondimenta in front of me, but I decided to portray it in motion.  Then, just as the painting was about finished, some churchmen came from behind me, got in the boat, and it took off.

THE SIGN OF THE KING'S HEAD, KETTLEWELL, NORTH YORKSHIRE

King's Head Sign, 6 x 6 inch ink drawing by George C. Clark    AVAILABLE

   

The Sign of the King's Head, Kettlewell, North Yorkshire, 14 x 10 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    SOLD

I painted this on a sleepy Sunday morning sitting on a bench on a traffic island in the middle of the intersection of the two main roads in the village of Kettlewell.  The King's Head is one of three pubs in town.  It's in the white building a little recessed from its neighbors.  I walked down and made a close-up drawing of the pub's sign in my sketchbook before I painted it.

SNAILSHELL HARBOR ON LAKE MICHIGAN

Snailshell Harbor, Fayette State Park, Michigan, 12 x 16 inch watercolor bt George C. Clark    SOLD

I painted this harbor scene in Fayette State Park on the Lake Michigan shore of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

ILLINOIS CENTRAL MOGUL

Illinois Central Mogul, 14 x 10 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    AVAILABLE

I painted this at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.  The name "mogul" describes a type of steam locomotive based on the number and arrangement of its leading, driving, and trailing wheels.  A mogul is a 2-6-0, meaning it has two leading wheels, six driving wheels, and no trailing wheels.

STONE DECK, MINERAL POINT, WISCONSIN

Stone Deck, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, 10 x 14 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   AVAILABLE

See it now at the Longbranch Gallery, 203 Commerce Street, Mineral Point, Wisconsin.  This is the first of a series of Mineral Point (and vicinity) subjects.

HAMBURG

The Jungfernsteig Bridge in Hamburg, 9 x 12 watercolor by George C. Clark   AVAILABLE

This was painted the same day as Rathaus in Hamburg that I posted earlier.  I think the Rathaus was behind me and to my right as I painted this one.  Earlier I had painted the view of the Rathaus from the bridge you see in this painting.

MILLPOND IN MAASTRICHT

Millpond in Maastricht, Holland,  14 x 10 inch watercolor by George C. Clark   SOLD

A sunny winter morning in the Netherlands, but a little too cold for on-site painting.

TWO RECENT RAILROAD PAINTINGS

Chicago Streetcar Barn, Illinois Railway Museum, 14 x 10 inch watercolor by George C. Clark  AVAILABLE

Last summer, after I had been invited to create a poster and railroad prints for the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, I was also invited to come out on a busy weekend in September to paint on site and be an event for museum visitors.  Because the trains are moved around from time to time, I went out there on a sunny day a week ahead with my camera to pick some good painting locations, both indoors and out, September weather being what it is.  The day I came to paint turned out to be really overcast and threatening to rain, so I set up in the corner of the car barn where old Chicago street cars are displayed.  That's a "Green Hornet" streamlined car from the 1940s in the foreground, a 1970s "Skokie Swift" train behind it, and an old car from the 1920s or earlier in the distance.  The overcast light was actually better for painting than it been the week before, when bright sunlight had been coming in the open doors to the left.  I finished the painting on site, then took a break for a late lunch.

Burlington Northern No. 3007, 14 x 12 inch ink and watercolor by George C. Clark  AVAILABLE

After lunch, although it was still overcast it hadn't actually rained, so I decided to work outdoors.  I liked the front of this locomotive, but it had looked better as a painting subject in sunlight.  I set up in front of it with a folding card table and a stool and spent about an hour and a half doing a fairly tight ink drawing on watercolor board.  The rain held off until the drawing was almost finished and I had to pack up and leave.  At home I used the photographs I had taken in sunlight as a guide when I added my watercolors.

THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR

House in Ravenswood, 16 x 12 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    SOLD

This was the view from my studio window when I lived in an apartment building in the Ravenswood neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago.

FISHTOWN, LELAND, MICHIGAN

Fishtown, Leland, Michigan, 10 x 14 inch watercolor by George C. Clark    AVAILABLE

I painted this from the rocks at the mouth of the river that runs through the oldest part of Leland on the Leelanau Peninsula north of Traverse City, Michigan.