Roughwater Fisherman

I saw this scene in my painting trip to MacKerricher State Beach, Humboldt County, northern California, where I did some plein air sketches. Afterward, in this studio piece, I focused on a man/nature theme, building the composition in a dynamic way around the figure. The scale of the figure-relative to the immensity and power of nature- indicates his relationship to a much larger universe (similar to the way Albert Bierstadt employed figures in his paintings of monumental mountains). Nature's wildness surrounds the fisherman, who is casting his delicate line into the rough elements. He's done this before, and knows his limitations. There is confidence in his cast, but respect as well.