Skyline with Boats in Foreground

Sketched from the deck of the ferry that carried him back and forth from New Jersey to Manhattan, this view inspired Marin to improvise with his watercolors. For example, he explored a novel, indirect means of outlining the top of the Singer Building, painting a round blue stroke and, before the wash dried, touching his rag or blotting paper to its center and wicking out the wet color, leaving only the outline behind. He also floated one wet hue into another on the lightweight sketchbook sheet, allowing soft, feathered patterns to emerge as the colored strokes collided and dispersed.