Capturing the Ever-Changing Light: Painting from Caterpillar Hill

Plein air painting and a blueberry coffee cake recipe for sustaining your creativity

Painting from Caterpillar Hill the view of Deer Isle.

Plein air painting from Caterpillar Hill. I laid out the composition in dark blues and greens at the start of the painting.

As you approach Deer Isle through Sergeantsville, Maine, there is an amazing view from Caterpillar Hill overlooking Penobscot Bay, with the Camden Hills on one side and Acadia and Mount Desert Island on the other. In the middle is Little Deer and Deer Isle. The view is spectacular no matter the time of day.

I went there early on a June morning to paint. I was spoiled for choice; everywhere I looked was a stunning vista of blues, greens, and purples. The light constantly changed—the greens shifting to indigo and blues to purple as clouds passed over. I settled on a view to the south with Deer Isle and Mount Cadillac in the distance. With the early morning sun, the coast was outlined in deep indigo, and the greens of the woods and hills were vibrant.

painting progress

What does the outdoor painter do as the light on the landscape changes with the sun and clouds moving overhead? As I painted, the light would change abruptly, and new varieties of green or blue would pop out. Should I try to match that yellow-green and place it on this hill? When this yellow-green was revealed by the changing light, the indigo blue coastline changed too.

I was attracted to the dark outline of the coast in the indigo (a mix of ultramarine blue and Windsor green) at the start of the painting. I kept that as my litmus test. If the light dramatically changed the view and I wanted to capture those colors, I looked at the coastline. Did that indigo change to light blue, light green, or even pink? If the coastline changed value from dark to light, I would not make any changes to the other colors in the painting and I waited for the light to change back. If the value remained the same but the color turned to a dark purple or dark green, then I might add the newly revealed colors to other areas in the painting. If I added every color that pops out during the outdoor painting process, the painting would lose the values that give the sense of distance and space.

Caterpillar Hill, 12 x 16 inches oil on panel

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Blueberry coffee cake for artists

Blueberry Coffee Cake

by Jenn Segal

Servings: 12 to 16 | Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 40 Minutes | Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING

• 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

• ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch chunks

FOR THE CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon packed lemon zest, from 1 lemon

• ½ cup milk

• 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen may be used but do not defrost)

1. Make the streusel topping: Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it reaches a crumbly state. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch square pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

3. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine. Add the berries to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Do not over-mix.

4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes, then serve right from the pan.