Plein Air Painting at Black Point in Narragansett
9″ x 12“, Oil on Canvas Board, Painted August 3, 2017
Black Point, Narragansett, RI
by Charles C. Clear III
Plein Air Painting is always fun and rewarding – especially at Black Point!
Black Point is gorgeous stretch of rocky coast in Narragansett, Rhode Island. It’s located just north of Scarborough State Beach, and it has 44 acres and 3500 feet of shoreline. Despite that, Black Point is easy to miss and often overlooked. Access is from a small gravel parking lot on Ocean Road. A narrow path leads you through a leafy tunnel of thick brush and woods that soon opens into a wondrous seaside panorama. Point Judith Light is in the distance to your right; down the coast to your left is Bass Rock; and across the Bay is Beavertail and Newport.
August 3rd, 2017 was sunny and warm. I went to Black Point with two friends in the early afternoon. After walking down the long trail, we reached the shoreline and walked north over the massive slabs of granite. The ladies set us their chairs seaside. I wandered a little ways back and chose a spot alongside a small cove to set up my easel. It was quieter there, and the wind was calmer. I secured the legs of my easel with rocks and began painting.
I painted the sky first, as I almost always do. Next I added Jamestown in the distance, the green atop the rocky outcropping on the other side of the cove, the deep blue water, and the rocks in the foreground. I used my palette knife quite a bit – especially on those rocks – and then pulled my knife sideways to get the feel of the water rushing in with the rising tide. This plein air painting of Black Point is a simple study that was painted quickly, and yet it still captures the look and feel of that view on that day.
To see the difference between an outdoor painting that took an hour and one that took weeks, check out my Studio painting of Black Point.
Charles C. Clear III
cc@oceanstateart.com