This painting is 5”x7”, ink and gouache on 300lb Arches Hot Press Watercolor paper. The final image is the ink underpainting, created with a technique called “gouache ink resist”.

Living in Waldoboro, ME I go up and down Rt 1 quite a bit. Often times I pass the “Sherman Lake” rest stop/picnic area around Newcastle and marvel at what a lovely tidal marsh it is. The “Sherman Lake” title - one I figured was just a colloquialism based on the fact that the marsh never empties - actually was much more dramatic. Before 2005, the area was a dammed freshwater lake popular for fishing in summer and hockey in winter until a storm dropped 7 inches of rain and the MDOT owned dam gave way, emptying the artificial lake for the fist time since the 30’s. By all counts, the area rapidly recovered to it’s natural saltwater habitat, and looking at it now, you’d never know it was any different.