Needs a "Title" 18x12

(No title yet!) 18x12"

Finally, I get an image up! I've been working on this one for a couple of months now, and the only thing that has kept me from posting it is, well, kids. And, my crazy work habits! Once I finished it, I took it to critique and got a few suggestions. Gosh, if it wasn't for a few extra eyes, I'd probably have framed it only to later find something wrong. Isn't that the case?

Anyway, I need a fun title for this third and final marine piece. The first two marina pieces are called "Boats With Ropes" and "Bouy Dance". I'm looking for something that has a twist to it, with a boat-like pun in it. Post a title in my "comments" folder, below, and if I pick it (in December), I'll award a free giclee' of it! As always, I took a progression of photos of the work in progress.


First starting out with an underpainting of an intense orange of Createx Pure Pigment paint, I lightly sketched in the scene to be painted with a pastel pencil. As seen in the photo above, I have started to "block in" some areas. I seemed to want to go right to that beautiful water!


Here, I have established my values. Darkest darks and lightest lights. This includes the tops of the boats and sky as the lightest, and then the stripes and parts of the deep water for the darkest values. I seemed to have started too soon with some details. (I'm supposed to leave the details for last)


At this point, I'm adding in the mid-tones in the water and am beginning to establish the distant shoreline.


Now, I'm beginning to take time here, watching especially the values of the boats and the reflections in the water. I'm at a point where the details started to take over. I'm careful to look at how the reflections are formed, where they are going and if they read accurately.


Finally finished!

I also have this posted on Wetcanvas with several title ideas!
Now, do you have an idea for a title?

"Boats With Ropes" 18x12

"Boats With Ropes" 16x12"

I just finished this piece today! Well at least till I take a long look at it and find something more to fix! I'd like to enter this one in the NPS Open International along with "Buoy Dance" with hopes they both get in. This painting may look familiar from prior posts, that's because it is a larger format of the "Boats and Ropes" that I posted earlier...below. As with most of my posts, I have included the steps that I took to get to this point. Here they are....



First, I start out with a "blaring" orange underpainting of Orange Createx paint (pure water-based pigment). I used orange because it is the compliment to blue and this painting will be a predominately blue and purple piece. I lightly sketched my image with a blue pastel pencil.



Then I "block-in" my basic colors. Most of the orange will be covered when I'm done, but specks of it peek through the pastel, giving it a unified look. I try not to paint any details yet at this point...hard to do.. indeedy-do.



Here, I'm beginning to work on the water. At this stage, I have used some yellows and blues and am beginning to define the cloud formations in the water. This seems to be a tricky thing to paint. I am often undecided on how I want the water to look like. Do I want it wavy, dark, with or without clouds? Lots of questions....it eventually evolves later. I have also begun some detailing in the boat on the right, and the feeling of light in the distant hillside. I begin to add detail in the dock woodwork but, because it in the foreground, I should keep this detail at a minimum. I'm checking and re-checking my values throughout the process.



Now, my painting sessions get longer, quieter, as I begin to breathe life into the piece. Attention to detail and constant evaluation of the water is what I am focusing on at this point. Asking myself about the values of the colors, is it pulling together? Quietly thinking, "What do I want to communicate?" This is my favorite part of the piece because I can see it coming along....almost done....



Ropes, ropes and more ropes! Here, to make the rope reflections (and the big yellow rope), I have taken the side of my pastel and just lightly dragged it down the surface of the painting, sometimes intentionally wiggling it, sometimes not even making a mark to give the water a wet look. This is my favorite part to do. It's like putting the "highlight" in the portriat of a childs' eyes! I might want to check the reflections for accuracy, but for now, I'm done!
Giclee' print available through Imagekind

"Boats and Ropes" 5x4

"Boats and Ropes" 5x4 Pastel

Moored by a small rope, these resting boats at the end of the day evoke a sense of quiet calm. I'm offering this small original framed pastel through Dusty Fingers for a limited time for $70.00 + $8.00 shipping. Framed in a simple black metal frame with a spacer between the pastel and the Antique White matboard, shipped US Priority mail the next day. Colors may vary due to monitor settings.

SOLD

Color Study #4

Color Study #4 5" x 7"

Today, I worked on another color study that is an analogous color scheme. Analogous colors are colors that neighbor each other on the color wheel. For this study, I chose to use blue and its entire range from blue, blue violet, red violet, and red and tints of these. I used a dash of orange for the rope, which causes a ton of interest because it is a compliment to blue. I found out that analogous colors can sometimes give artwork a lack of interest or create a calming feeling. Sounds kind of boring! So, that is why I put that bold orange rope in this piece and also the boat was going to float away if I didn't tie it down!
Here is my analogous palette.

"Buoy Dance" 7x5"

This little marine gem "Buoy Dance" was painted quickly at a pace of 1/2 hour as a demo for my Open Studio in October. I since have touched it up a bit, adding detail and measuring values, making sure I have a focal point, cleaning up edges, softening edges, stuff like that. I'm offering this piece in the free drawing at Hillsboro's First Tuesday Art Walk this December 4th at Art Envy's Artist's Reception, 125 SE 3rd, Hillsboro, OR 97123. I will also have many of my smaller pieces that are very reasonably priced for this show as well as my entire line of note cards. Stop by from 6 to 9pm and enjoy a sip of wine with me! Oh, so because I worked on it some more, that brings the time creating up a notch to around 1 hour! :)

"Lopez Harbor Evening" 4x6.5in

This little beauty is from my Open Studio demo series from this past October show. Taken from the harbor on Lopez Island while the sun was just beginning to set, a wonderful glow on the surface of the water shimmers with pinks and blues.