Sailing on Racoon Strait

Oil on textured panel, 11" by 14", plein air. Racoon Strait is the 1 mile wide deep water passage between Tiburon Point and Angel Island on the bay side of Marin County. It is named for a British 26-gun sloop of war that was damaged off the coast of Oregon in 1814 and limped back to SF Bay and was repaired in Ayala Cove on this side of Angel Island. California was not a part of the US at that time, but this was during the War of 1812 and the sloop was probably protecting
British fur traders in the Northwest and West Coast of Canada. The sky is that gray color, not because of the usual fog (marine layer) but because of particulate matter in the air from our wildfires in N. California and not enough off shore wind to blow the smoke inland.

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Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on August 18, 2015 at 11:20: Thanks Michael and thank you very much for your comments Susan!! I am usually curious to learn the stories about places that I paint and I am flattered that you enjoy both the paintings and the stories!!!

Comment by Susan Burke on August 18, 2015 at 7:22: I've said it before, I don't know which I like more the painting or the history you bring to them!

Comment by Michael J. Severin on August 18, 2015 at 6:42: Wow, great that you are heavily involved with the arts, Stu!!! ...good luck on all that.

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on August 18, 2015 at 3:10: That's a good idea Michael; wish I had thought of it when I was painting, but I think this is a finished "study" and I probably won't do much else with it. I am pretty busy getting our first Downtown San Rafael plein air event organized for the 29th and Kay Carlson and I are meeting with a woman from "Sausalito Beautiful" in an hour to discuss a plein air event in Sausalito next year. So maybe we will even have a several day Marin Plein Air Festival next year!!! If we do, I expect you will want to come down for it!!!! I'm also trying to get my watercolors spiffed up! I still haven't gotten anything done on my VAA homework.

Comment by Michael J. Severin on August 18, 2015 at 2:59: Hey Stu, maybe you could have the women in the white shirt extending her arm and pointing toward the direction of the boat ....your eye would certainly go in that direction, and ...........a story line will unfold ..visual poetry.

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on August 18, 2015 at 2:48: That was supposed to be "I don't think I did a very good job of drawing the eye to my focal point...".

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on August 18, 2015 at 2:46: Thanks Michael! As Ann says "Interesting composition". I do get your point about the masses and what draws the eye, and I don't think I did a very good eye of drawing the eye to my focal point; maybe next time out!!!

Comment by Michael J. Severin on August 18, 2015 at 2:18: Sound good Stu! ...thank for the clarification ...good work. :)

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on August 17, 2015 at 18:08: Thank you Michael, Silvana and Manneherin. Michael, my focal point is the point of land at the end of Angel Island, not the rock with the people on it; they are there watching the boats sailing through the strait and when I squint at this, my eye is drawn to that dark point of land backlit by the light streaming through from the south. That's what I saw that drew me to the scene. The boat is a lead in to the focal point as are the people watching the boats, so I actually wanted Angel Island, located a mile away across the strait to loom quite large.