Megunticook Campground By The Sea in Rockport, Maine (Midcoast Maine) is a stunning location that offers a breathtaking view of West Penobscot Bay and the sunrise. If you're looking for a serene spot to catch some beautiful views, and you like to camp, Megunticook Campground By The Sea is pretty amazing. To get an idea of the location, check out the map below.
We stayed for a few days in July and I knew it offered the perfect spot for a sunrise painting session. I set my alarm for 4:45 and grabbed my pack and headed down to the water (pre-coffee) hoping I would get a good sky (my weather app seems to be half right, so it's always a little bit of a mystery). It was still, quiet, and warm. The birds were starting to wake up, and some of them were flying out over the ocean. 
I set up on a giant boulder which felt like a throne to this incredible view -- and no one was around to see it except me. There were practically no sounds, except the sounds of the water lapping below me, the birds, and a very occasional, distant, inboard from an early morning lobster boat.
In the video below, you can get a small sense of what it was like, but nothing compares to really being there. The view is 180 degrees and truly magnificent. The clouds always add an interesting twist to the sunrise, and on that morning, the day began with fog and clouds. The first sliver of sun appeared as vivid, electric magenta, followed by coral and then yellow as it rose above the water and through the clouds.
If you give this video a few seconds, you can see the whole view from where I was sitting. Quite magnificent...
Although the photos are absolutely beautiful, in the moment, everything around me seemed brighter and more electric.
I struggled in the first painting to capture the magenta of the sun emerging from the clouds because I mistakenly grabbed a tube of violet rather than magenta, but I made my attempt with the following sequences showing the coral and yellow segment of the experience.
I had not had my coffee yet, and it was early (!) so I think it took until the second painting to get really loose which you can see below...
As a side note, I could not understand why I was having such a hard time making magenta, and I finally solved the mystery later that day with the folks at Rockport Blueprint in Camden. I had misread the label on the tube, which should have been Quinacridone Magenta, NOT Quinacridone Violet. So, I grabbed a new tube, and now I feel a deep personal challenge to replicate the fiery first light magenta to finish out this sunrise series. Stay tuned.
If you're interested in reading more about my 2022 Painting Challenge, check out this post, or go here to message me your favorite place, and I'll paint it for you. And, if you're planning a trip to Maine, don't miss the chance to see the stunning sunrise at Megunticook Campground By The Sea in Rockport.
