Sep 11, 2025

A 5th Year at Perkins Cove Plein Air

I'm back from a long day of painting in Ogunquit, Maine at the 5th Annual Perkins Cove Plein Air Event, and of all of these events I've attended (all five), this year may have been my favorite!

My day started Saturday morning at 4am so I could get up to Ogunquit for an early start - with the threat of severe thunderstorms in the afternoon, judging time moved up earlier and so did check-in time. I think painting is the only thing I’ll get up early for these days that isn’t work or taking care of my daughter!

I was excited to see the sunrise at 6:15 - it was absolutely stunning over the Atlantic Ocean 😍 and with all of my focus and practice lately on rocks and waves, I knew what I had to paint as the tide was coming in. Such drama in the morning with the tide coming in and the crash waves!

This was my first plein air event painting in oil and not watercolor, and my goal for the day was to paint something from start to finish that I would feel ok putting on my easel for others to see. I think because I allowed myself so much time to paint, and with all of the practice I’ve put in lately, I didn’t have the normal jitters I usually have and it was actually a really enjoyable painting day. So many people stopped by to comment on the paintings I brought with me or watch and ask questions about how I was painting the waves I saw coming in to shore.

When I finished my painting around 10am, the rocks I saw when I first started were long gone and the lighting was totally different! But I followed the first cardinal rule of plein air painting: don't chase the light. I stuck with my value plan at the beginning when I started painting at 7 and it paid off.

All I had left to do was pop my wet painting into a frame, wire the back, and get it on my easel to display for judging and the wet paint sale.

I'm so pleased to share that while I didn't win an award this year, I sold my painting from the day to a nice couple from Connecticut, and I also sold a painting from my Marginal Way collection that I brought with me to an event volunteer I was chatting with during the day! I'm always so honored when collectors connect with my work and decide to place one of my pieces in their home.

We were very fortunate the the rain and thunderstorms held of just until the end of the awards ceremony and the end of the wet paint sale - the skies opened up just as I got back to my car to head home. This event is always the highlight of my year, and I'm already looking forward to next year's event!