Painting in studio, working from photos taken at brother's home in Maryland

SUMMARY OF PLACE:

My brother purchased a grocery bag full of steamed, Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs for dinner.  The kitchen table was prepared by covering it with newspaper.  The Baltimore Sun is the daily newspaper of record in Baltimore.  Butter was melted in a bowl and placed on the table, along with the Old Bay seasoning.  The crabs were piled on the newspaper and the feast began. 

INSPIRATION:

For this painting, I wanted to capture the vibrant red of the steamed crabs, smothered in Old Bay seasoning.  The backdrop to these strong red shapes would be the neutral gray of the soiled newspaper.  At the center of interest, I purposefully included a small shape of red's compliment, green.  The painting is titled "Crabs on THE SUN".  I wanted this piece to portray specifically the Baltimore crab-eating experience.  Hence, the newspaper backdrop is surely The Baltimore Sun.  The shape and color of the bowl of melted butter echo the reference to the Sun. 

Crabs on THE SUN Watercolor 12X13