The Harbor, 2010. Gouache paint, 10' x 45'
The project: A representation of an 'altar,' or certain place that is significant to you. For this I chose a spot on the Boston Harbor, on the compass that looks out into the bay and towards the airport. Although I was largely raised in New Hampshire, much of my family still lives in the Boston area and the city is a very dear place to me. Whenever my family and I are in town for a visit, we stay at the Marriot next to the aquarium. The compass is a short walk from here and for years I have enjoyed walking up and down the harbor and stopping in this one spot. I decided to use gouache as I don't usually use paint and I love that it has the softness of watercolor but is still opaque. I chose not to use references and worked only from memory.

When I first finished this, I wasn't very proud of it. I felt that I had made it to be too simple and that it was not recognizable as Boston. However it was very well received by my teachers and friends, which surprised me. Sometimes I do regret not using references, but I think I benefited from working with the simple elements from my memory and not worrying about the small details.