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Window on Wellfleet 1996
This drawing is from inside a cottage we’ve rented a lot in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod. I’ve always loved the views from inside these places but the thought of staying inside while everyone else was outside kept me from doing this kind of scene. I think I was doing a drawing outside and had come in for some coffee one day and decided to give this a shot. I remember leaning against the sink and doing the foreground. I liked it even though it had a kind of simplicity that usually doesn’t exist in my drawings. I must confess that I then went outside to fill in the background. It is what you actually see out the window but I couldn’t stand being inside any more. I guess that’s why the background is more detailed. I’m still not sure if I’m happy with this drawing or not, part of it is the simple style of the inside, which I like, contrasted with the more detailed outside, which I also like. I’m just not sure they work together.
I find it fascinating how high the horizon really is. I think if I did a scene like this without having any reference I would put the horizon much lower. I remember driving into little waterfront towns in England and being amazed at the first sight of the English Channel. It was always much higher than I expected.
I decided to try two more through-the-window drawings the next year and have included them on the “history” page.
There was an old wooden cabinet in the kitchen of this place. In a drawer were a couple of candles and some matches with a note from some people who had been in the place in 1991 when Hurricane Bob caused a power failure that lasted a week. They didn’t have any candles so they left some for future hapless renters. The cottage has changed owners at least twice since we began renting it. Some of the furniture changed but the table and chairs and the candles have remained. |
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Close Ups |
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Amy and her fiancé, David Berner. |
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All material copyright 2016 Neil Borrell |
