The Mary Whalen with Yellow Canoe

Oil on canvas on archival panel
12” x 16”
$990

The Brooklyn waterfront never ceases to amaze! This historic oil tanker, the Mary A Whalen, is docked at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and open to the public. Better yet, there is ample parking, it is accessible daily, and the views are incredible! Of course, I chose to paint its bow and the small dock floating next to it, and not the view of lower Manhattan in the distance. (That’s for another painting in the future!). I painted this almost entirely on-site over several different days. Interestingly, on the very last visit, I happened to get there earlier than before and clouds moved in, both of which enhanced the view with better shadows and a more interesting composition. Sadly for the neighborhood, a small play area next to the Mary Whalen, which was there on my first visit, had to be cleared out. However, it turned out to be better for the painting as it simplified the objects in the view. On another day I was painting there, a gigantic cruise ship was preparing to set off, and I was astonished/entertained by the extremely loud announcements (“GET READY FOR YOUR ONE WEEK VACATION TO CANADA!!! NO WORK!! NO COOKING!! WOO HOO!!!) and disco music blaring from the upper deck. It went on for over an hour. Eek!! And a minor distraction were the periodic bursts of small groups of people running to catch the Brooklyn Ferry, whose terminal is also right next to the Mary Whalen. Ahhhh, the fun of painting plein air in the city! :))

Below is a video shot by the ED of The Mary A Whalen on one of the days I was there with a few other painting friends (and posted on its Facebook page):