The boat has now been painted, just got to work on the reflection and possibly add a few more details and a softening glaze.
Tag: light
The brief – a work of art inside a matchbox.
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This painting is set to exist in this young man’s life with a purpose; as a way to remember, in memorial, in memory of his Dad, who died at sea while scuba diving. Painted from the heart and the imagination, the piece is a vision… an ocean… a lovely day, a beautiful place. The painting is becoming the picture to serve its purpose. After the client’s viewing, I could’ve painted all night! But this is where its at. The boat is about to set sail.
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Latest developments to the painting have consisted of the following:
- Dabs of a vivid orange to the clouds, then toned down.
- Adding more cerulean blue to the lower part of the sky to balance the sky with the sea.
- Faffing about with the shapes and positioning of the clouds.
- Testing the inclusion of blue / purple tones that clouds often have when the sun is low in the sky.
- Adding those rolling clouds on the horizon in order to create a sense of distance and as a substitute for land.
I’ve been working late in the studio when I’m into the painting. The problem with this is not just the eating of junk food but the lack of natural light, meaning the painting can look very different the next day. Mind you, it has to look good in both natural and artificial light, as the client will want to admire his painting in the evenings too!
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I’ve spent the last couple days working late at the gallery and getting submerged in the sea! Painting the sea, that is! Despite the vast amount of reference material I’ve viewed, when painting, I am not referring to any other imagery. It’s all been about responding to the paint and creating a stunning scene that looks plausibly real yet has been completely invented. The images that have been absorbed and created in previous observations and studies give me ‘experience’and, therefore, the confidence to let the painting evolve in it’s own way. Its foundations are based on the client’s original vision and response to the sketches and material shown to him during the first consultation.
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Decisions, decisions….
Yes, I know the horizon is wonky at the moment! It doesn’t matter at this stage.
However, there are several decisions to be made (and it’s not until you write them down, do you realise the amount of decisions you make when painting). Take this excerpt from my recent email to the client, describing what I’m weighing up at this stage in the painting.
Just thought I’d mention a few things / thoughts about the painting…
- Don’t worry, the horizon will be straight! I might also bring it down a bit…
- What do you think about the beach? The sea currently comes in as far as the rocks and the area between the rock is still ‘dry land’. I’ve left it as it is for now. The sandy areas between the rocks might end up being reflective pools as if the tide has gone out, or the indents in the sand caused by the drag of the tide, as in the foreground.
- The first strip of sea that’s lighter is likely to mirror the sky – orangey streaks, etc. The area to the right is becoming swirly, whitewash water with  aqua colours, it looks like a fairly large area of shallow water at the moment.
- The rocky area at the bottom right is where the sea could come in further – either the rocks go or become submerged (this is where there is an element of going ‘with the painting’ as to what works) or end up being painted over but I am aware you didn’t want ‘too much beach’.
- The painting of the beach / sea looks quite spontaneous at the moment. I don’t want to ‘overwork it’ and make too ‘photo realist’ but more detail in the rocks, for example, will make them less abstract. The sea has more colours, tones, ripples, detail to add.
- As the clouds are yet to come, the ‘light’ is not established yet. Once the clouds are established I’ll get a sense of the overall light effect on the scene. The sky reflecting on the sea, pools, shallow area. It feels ‘warm’ to look at, at the moment, if you know what I mean!
- I have a few diff ideas for the clouds / sky that will sketch out based on our previous discussion and notes / images… but I’d appreciate you making any thoughts you have on this known at this stage, now that you have seen the painting. Or you can just trust me!
- Now, the placement of the boat is trickier… instinct from the composition, the rocks point towards a focal point in which the boat could be placed. This is the most obvious position for the boat. Here it would be in the distance and look something like (image ‘boat 1’ or ‘boat 2’ when painted. The detail of the reflection might go as far back as the pools then… not sure! Remember I mentioned about the boat heading from left to right? Well, the other option is to have the boat further to the right. This would make it closer and more detailed – particularly if you want the kind of reflections in the images of the boats you liked, such as ‘boat 3’. However, in the shallow, reflective areas of the sea, it wouldn’t look like these images.
Aspects of these decisions are a bit speculative anyway.  I will go with ‘what works’ as I’m not painting what’s in front of me and because it’s important that all the elements of the painting work together. But before I go any further, it’s your chance to check I’m going in the right direction, state preferences and make any suggestions.
