Rocks and Ocean

SOLD
This small painting is an example of using a monochromatic
under painting, in this case a brown one - as a base for adding
color. It is fairly easy to harmonize a painting if you use a tight,
limited palette of colors and such an under painting. The under
painting, or grisaille, from the French for "gray", has to be in a
discernible color, not in black and white. A gray could be used,
but it would work best if it were a gray influenced noticeably by
a color, such as blue, or lavender.

Blue Breakers

4" x 5", Gouache on Plate Bristol Board

I did not find this picture easy to do. At one point I actually
rinsed it off under the tap. That was a good thing, as it revealed
(as it can do), some subtle tones and textures I wouldn't have
seen had I not done that. I really wanted it to be semi-abstract,
as I love a balance of realism and abstract. I find that very
intriguing.

As it is, I am fairly satisfied with this effort, as I absolutely love
the colors. If you haven't tried gouache (opaque watercolor) yet,
you ought to give it a try. You don't actually have to run out and
buy a "set" of gouache if you have a set of watercolors. All you need
is a tube of Chinese White, which I learned today was invented in
1834 (and certainly made good use of by Turner, who left no less
than 20,000 works of art at his death!).

You can mix the Chinese White with the watercolor. This is actually
how gouache (then known as "bodycolour" ) was originally done in
the 18th century. Hmm.....interesting. Anyway, it is really fun to
work with, because you can use it transparently or opaquely, and
any "mistake" can be covered up. It is kind of like oils, really, except
that you really can't "blend" it so much, and it does tend to dry a bit
lighter than it is when it is wet.

Thanks for visiting today.

Founders Beach, Isla Morada

6" x 8", Gouache on Canson WC Paper NFS

This is a VERY loose interpretation of a beach I snorkeled

off of in the Keys. I saw some amazing Parrot Fish there

(they're the ones that have the beaks and eat the coral that

gets processed by their digestive systems into sand...what goes

around comes around.....very literally in this case). The photo

I posted before I went away was of a Princess Parrot Fish - one

of my all-time favorite fish to see. I did notice, though, that these

fish were very skittish and kept running away from me, while in

the Caribbean they are really laid back, and let you follow them

around for an hour. They come in many different colors - bright

orange, red and green, and the turquoise of the Queen and Princess.

Thanks for visiting today. I think by Monday I'll have this out of

my system.

Storm Off the Keys

Gouache on Canson WC Paper, 4 1/2" x 7" Bid Here

I just got back for the Florida Keys on Saturday. We spent two days

dealing with a hurricane, which was at times exciting, at other times

disappointing. But it also yielded mind-gripping images such as

the one above, which I did from memory completely, so of course

it isn't as fantastic as it was in real life.

I was five miles out off the coast of Key Largo, snorkeling from an

excursion boat. We had all just finished and returned to the boat,

when a storm pulled up really very fast. It literally started raining

as the last person climbed up the ladder into the boat. But as we

made our way back to shore (we had been at the John Pennecamp

Natural Park, which is the only great barrier reef in the United States),

and moved away from the storm, there was this amazing limpid green

water backed by a threatening black sky. There was no blue, or visible

clouds. I just stuck those in there for artistic effect.

Thanks for visiting today.

Sunset over St. John II

Oil on Board, 1o" x 7" SOLD

This is another view that I am obsessed with. Probably because

I haven't been there in three years. I love the Caribbean. If someone

were to ask me where I would rather go right now than anywhere on

earth, and I could choose any place, it would be the Caribbean. It i

a magical, beautiful place.

The colors in this painting did not come out well in this photograph.
They were much more luminous. The yellow was yellower, and the
pink was pinker.

I had a strange experience today. I get Chris Bolmeier's blog post.
She's a fascinating character. Does good art, can write up a storm,
has a fantastic voice - multi-talented. Well, she suggested watching a YouTube
video with Karin Jurik laying out her palette. I love those
things, so I did watch it.

It was uncanny. One by one, I watched her lay out every single
color I use on my own palette!! I should have had Twilight Zone
music playing in my head. Our work is nothing alike. (I admire
hers very much.) But, we obviously both love to have a lot of color
to work with, because she had about fifty, just like I do, and just
about the same, exact colors! Weird....but interesting.

Thanks for visiting today, and have a nice weekend.

The Eastern Shore at Midday

Oil Pastel w/ Van Eyck Painting Medium on White Acrylic-

Sized Paper, 9" x 7 7/8", $100.00 Bid Here

I have a set of Sennelier oil pastels - actually I have two - one that

I have never touched because it is so beautiful I can't bare to touch

it, and another that was bought over time; piece by piece, also a Holbein

here, a Sakura there, that's been used and used.

I just love this image,

and thought I would play around with it using oil pastels. The Senneliers

are so soft, they are literally like lipstick. The Holbeins - and I forgot to

mention the Caran d'Ache, are somewhat firmer, but still incredibly

smooth and satisfying to work with.

I will put some color down, and take a deerfoot brush ( these are

brushes that I used for blending in oil painting) and dip it into a

tube of Sennelier Van Eyck Painting Medium (gelatinous but delicate),

and you can push the oil pastel around with this, and blend it together.

It is really fun.

Sometimes I feel really serious about my work, and sometimes I think

it brings out my (caution: over-used word alert - ) "inner child". I'm

planning on doing a series of figure paintings next, and they are very

demanding, so that is probably why I am doing this, and why I did the

pears yesterday. Just something light, and.....entertaining.

Thanks so much for visiting today.