After working on “Il Mare - I” and “The Mystic Drawbridge - I”, I decided to continue with the water theme, this time in Boston. This piece evolved in a markedly different manner than my other pieces, perhaps because I worked watercolor directly from the pencil sketch. This allowed me to develop texture in the water and the concrete that would have otherwise been impossible.

Like “Il Mare - I”, I began with a wash of yellow for the highlights and blue for the water and shadowy areas. In retrospect, I probably would have used more yellow to continue the sunlight through the water, yet at this point in time, I was more concerned with accidentally activating the yellow with the blue, which would have given rise to a strip of green through the harbor.

While I used the pen to outline some of the chains, I waited until the piece was almost finished to add in the buildings in the background. All in all, I was pleased with how this piece came out — even the ink in the background with the Van Dyke Brown helped add in a warmer tone that helped bring balance to the cool blue of the water.