Water moods : 16"x20" grid arrangements

 All the 16"x20" paintings I finished actually make a very interesting "large" painting.. I just threw these together, with a bit of an eye for color placement, but didin't really spend much time with it..  Just wanted to give an idea of what an arrangement could look like.. These photos were quickly shot on the floor of my studio (nice carpet, eh?)

The last one

I took a "staycation" last week, surfed almost every day, enjoyed our "summer" weather, clear calm warm, and nice waves..When the waves weren't good, it was just so darn nice being in the water I just paddled around, or sat on my board..stayed out with no "have to go home and work" voice in my head.. However, I am always looking looking when I am out there. Even surfed in a red tide one day.. They should call it "burnt sienna tide" and it only was that color when the sun shone on it.. 

  At home I stayed out of the studio, didn't think about painting .. I can feel the energy of something that wants to find it's way onto a canvas, just need to be patient about it..  Just like these past days, the waves have been good but I need to be patient and let them come to me , which they eventually do... 

  Ah, the things I learn from surfing.... 

"prussian sea" 16"x20" oil/canvas

"Prussian Sea" is the last of the 16"x20" series.. "Prussian " refers to the color of the oil paint I used..

4 more sixteen by twenty

On the journey (which is stalled at the moment with one more to do) of completing a number of 16"x20" paintings.. While each stands alone, I am thinking of displaying 9 of them together in a grid pattern.. all flush against each other. Seen all together they give a great display of the many facets/faces of water.. No titles yet for this bunch.. 

"Pulse" 16"x20"  oil/canvas

"Return II " 16"x20"  oil/canvas

"All that glitters" 16"x20" oil/ canvas

"Morning Flow" 16"x20"  oil/canvas 

"Color of water?"

 Local business owner of Magnolia Gallery in Larkspur, Theresa Ryan, an amazing framer and creative person extraordinaire, has "The color of water?" series on display in her shop window.. along with my first surfboard (with a painted graphic that covered a hung ding repair) and an amazing recliner built by Matt Stoich who has a custom upholstery shop next door... all sitting on 200 pounds of sand in the window.. Thanks Theresa! Check it out if you are in Larkspur! I love seeing the 4 paintings all together.

A surf painting!

Needed a break from the water surfaces, so decided to give a try at a more "traditional" surf painting.. "K.B.'s Left" is actually a first for me as the surfer is actually the focus of attention.. (Not counting the surf photos I copied in high school.) Thought it would be interesting to combine the water surface ( foreground) with a shot of someone actually surfing.. I had taken a photo of my surfing buddy, Kathy, a while back. I worked with a couple of reference photos to  provide additional information of the wave, the light, and the foreground surface.. I was also trying to capture the morning light at our surf spot.. And the color of the water is rarely that color.. but as we all know,  the color of water is an endless topic for me... A nice little experiment...

Both of these painting capture the feeling I have while I am out on my board. I love it that every time I surf, I am also working.. Art is life.

"K.B.'s Left"  9"x12"  oil on masonite

(an earlier painting- focus on water, not the surfer)

Silver and green

Moving right along. My goal is to do 8 of these 16" x 20" paintings.. Exploring different angles, colors , light. etc..  Four down, four to go...

"silver swell"  16"x20"  oil on canvas

"green sea" 16"x20" oil on canvas

Longing for beginner's mind

Why I haven't posted recently:

1)  Finished "the color of water ?" series.. yikes! what next?

2)  Excessive ukulele practice/play

3)  Child #2 moved into her own place and started a new job.

4)  surfing

5)  distractible mind (so what else is new?) 

6)  what next? (again) 

7)  designed a tee shirt for the Berkeley Ukulele Club..by hand... THAT took a lot of time..

8)  and all the other life stuff

 Now that I have a LOT of water paintings and explorations under my belt I don't feel quite so much like the beginner I was when I started all this.  I also feel like I am starting to repeat myself..and when I stop seeing new things, well... I lose interest and move to other things.. I know I have just scratched the surface with the water paintings.. ah, for a return to beginners mind.. 

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few"- Susuki Roshi

SOOOOOOOOO.. I decided to buy eight 16"x20" canvasses and just paint as a practice.. Move quickly from one to another (yeah, right!) .. They actually look pretty cool when I hang all of the same size together.. Here are the first two.. (not including the 4 completed canvasses I already have)   

"Peachy morning" oil/canvas 16"x20"

"Shallow" oil/canvas 16"x20"

The color of water series

 "What is the color of water?"

 The one thing I know for sure is that "capturing" color on canvas is even more difficult than "capturing" movement.  It's varied and changing essence is dependent on surrounding atmospheric conditions, global location and what microscopic particles are in the water itself. 

 If nothing else, I learned a lot about the pigment that comes out of a tube of paint and how to work with that color to change it in so many different ways... It has helped me see these minuscule changes when I am out in the water... Always something new to see..I can see how artists may spend a lifetime trying to understand what they are seeing.. I am still looking! And looking forward to starting a new exploration...

As for the color of water? I still have NO idea! 

                                                                            

"the color of water #1 " , 24"x30", oil/canvas

"the color of water #2", 24"x30", oil/canvas

"the color of water #3", 24"x30", oil/canvas

"the color of water #4", 24"x30", oil/canvas

                                      

working

I am working on a series based on the concept of the previous painting.. Plan to post them all when I finish, so stay tuned! HAve 2 more almost finished. One more blank canvas..