This is a fairly quick watercolor study I did one afternoon while relaxing and sitting on the porch of the Inn at Silver Bay. For several years I had been thinking about attempting a larger painting from this location where I was sitting, but before doing so I wanted to make some sketches, drawings and color studies so that I could consider several different approaches to doing a larger and more complex painting, or even several paintings.
When selecting a subject for a painting it is fairly common for me to use studies, like this, to form an opinion as to whether or not my initial visual idea will be interesting or potentially successful as a final work. In making painting studies, I use the time and work process to organize and test color selections; explore various compositions plus the proportions of the subject; select a time of day which is in part determined by the placement of shadows, reflections, patterns of light and dark as well as bright and dull color. In some situations if I have available time over several days I will find out what the projected weather conditions will be like for when I would like to do the painting. I have learned that some landscape settings look nice on a bright sunny day, and these conditions are satisfactory for making a good painting, but also on some occasions the view of the same location on rainy, or a cloudy day might be more interesting.
For guests on the campus, this is a highly familiar view of the Oak and Maple trees that boarder the North side of the bay, in the vicinity of the boathouse and overlooking the marina. For folks that enjoy walking the grounds and shoreline, these trees provide shade along part of the lake shore path, which shelters benches from where beautiful views of Lake George can be enjoyed.