One of the joys of my life is being associated with Provincetown Commons. Today we held our first-ever golf tournament — a fundraiser for our core programs of subsidized studios, co-work space and exhibition space for local artists. Because I believe that all our fundraisers should reflect our mission, I recruited a small team of plein air painters to work in parallel to the golfers. The artworks were made available for purchase after the tournament and proceeds were donated to The Commons.

I generally don’t like working en plein air. It’s a clumsy process — lugging gear out into the wild and battling the elements (and insects). But, in all honesty, I had a blast today (until I threw out my back). I decided to work larger than one usually might in this method (36 x 36 inches), and I tried to paint as if I was in the studio. What this means (to me) is forgetting the particular details I was observing in favor of choosing elements to compose a painting. I’m not sure why, but for some reason when I’m working outdoors I get weirdly focused on copying what I’m seeing  — which is recipe for a bad painting. Great paintings are never copies of nature, rather they’re a reflection of nature through the experience of an artist. 

The golf tournament was at Highland Links — one of the oldest golf courses in America. The course is adjacent to Highland Light — commissioned by George Washington in 1797, it’s the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod. The Highland Area also hosts Highland House — the Truro Historical Society’s museum. I was surprised at how many of the artists and the day’s participants had never before visited the area. It’s an absolute gem — with great views of the Atlantic and a clear view across Truro, over Cape Cod Bay, and into Provincetown. In the other direction, you can also see the radar installation at the old Air Force base and Jenny Lind Tower.

A final fact that animates my imagination about this site: Highland House was originally a hotel operated by the Small family, which held the government contracts for the lighthouse and meteorological observation and recording. Henry David Thoreau spent two weeks in July 1855 at Highland House because of his interest in the scientific observation being done onsite. He wrote about his experience at Highland Light in his book, Cape Cod. 

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Field Guide: Walking & Painting on Cape Cod is a fundraiser to support Provincetown Commons’ artist studios, co-working facility, meeting spaces and exhibition gallery. Please donate at our website: https://www.provincetowncommons.org/fieldguide-walkingandpaintingcapecod