John says: In a dream there was a woman looking over her shoulder at a man in a rowboat – as though there was a connection between them. This theme is repeated in a number of my paintings, and I will often use it to test various dyads and triad color combinations.
Cindy says: The MINI “Man in a Rowboat” is the first time that I remember a recognized shape as part of one of John’s pigment tests. The painting, “Balance of Color” started them all.
“The Girl on an Island”
January 2018
This watercolor sketch was the beginning of “The Man in a Rowboat” painting – a first draft of what John dreamed about. Cindy has a different name for this one, and it’s hiding under the mat.
“Balance of Color”
was inspired by a PAPA Challenge of the same name. These pigment tests started the mini ‘Man in a Rowboat’ series, a silhouette found in several of John’s paintings.
In-Between Practice pieces
“The Girl on the Sidewalk”
The first sketch for the final painting, this scene doesn’t include a rowboat. Sold 2020 at PAPA Gallery.
“The Girl on the Sidewalk” #2
“The Girl on the Sidewalk” #3
“Man in a Rowboat” MINIS
Lots of minis between here and there!
The Man in a Rowboat Series 2018-2023
The first watercolor sketch that depicts John’s dream (“The Girl on an Island”) is Cindy’s favorite version. She decided she could tell you the title that is hiding under the mat.. It’s “Waiting for John”. In the very first “The Man in a Rowboat” painting, we aren’t sure if she knows he’s there.
And 2023 … Will they meet at last? Maaaybe.
“The Girl on an Island”
January 2018
“The Man in a Rowboat”
January 2020
“The Man in a Rowboat II”
January 2023
Sold
and new in January 2025…
I don’t know what it is about January, but seems that it must be the time to paint another one.
“The Man in a Rowboat III”
Watercolor by John McLaren
Art 10×21, 2025
Debut: The McLaren Exhibition, Janice Mason Art Museum, 2025