When in doubt...

Looking back over the past posts, I seem to be doing nothing but waves.. After that big painting I guess I unconsciously gravitated toward a different form.. I mean, painting water is one thing, but waves? They are mostly my experiments in color and support, so I guess a wave form is like having a home page...

Up against the wall!

( "The Wall" oil on canvas, 24"x24")
When I began this painting a month ago, I thought I had a clear idea of where I wanted it to go...I wanted to somehow convey the experience of being in the water on a clear sunny glassy day, looking on as a wall of white water comes rushing at me.. Stopping it in motion for just a second to explore the reflections, the shape of the moving foam, the angle, what movement looks like when it stops...The experience is always breathtaking for me.
Well, it started out quite nicely and I was enjoying myself.. then I hit a point where the relationship started to change, and I wasn't quite sure why.... so I have been attempting to make it work for me, painting and repainting, and have finally just decided to let it go and call it finished....If I keep at it I am afraid I will really mess it up..
I have a lot of ideas as to why it "isn't quite there" (for me anyway) so hopefully they will inform me the next time I attempt something similar....This seems to be a part of my process.. Learning by mistakes...wonder what this one will teach me?

And on another note. This sweet kitty ( Tigger) is the source of the occasional cat hairs that find their way onto the paintings ....This wave is oil on aluminum....an experiment with a new surface...Very nice and smooth....Just for fun..

January 7am

(oil 8"x10")
I recently discovered a gel medium (used to mix with paint to make it flow and dry faster, among other things) called Neo Meglip by Gamlin. It is supposedly a modern mix of a medium used by the old Masters, which allowed for glazing and luminous colors. In it's original form it is quite toxic, a no-no in this day and age..But not this new version!
This small oil was my first attempt at using the medium and I loved it.. Will continue to see what it allows me to do! There are layers and layers of paint... and although it may not show on the screen, the surface of the painting has a nice luminosity...Sorry its a bit soft, but I was shooting in low light (as usual) ..

I love foam!

Charcoal on paper

Greenie

(oil on board 8"x10")
This small painting is for a woman I surf with who was interested in one of my earliest "board-in-the-water" paintings. Instead of the generic white board, the stylistic ocean (limitations of using acrylics), and my lack of experience at the time, I offered to do a "portrait of her favorite board,"Greenie". It was fun to see the difference..

Water, with interruptions. (YES! It's finished!)

The final challenge.. naming the painting. (oil, 48"x60")
A frequent question is, "How long did it take?" Since I have worked on this for almost three months, but not consistently, it seemed only fitting to use "Water, with interruptions" as a title.. It addresses the "how long?" question as well as describing what is actually going on IN the painting itself. Especially since I usually paint calmer, water. I was inspired by a book I am reading now, "Death with interruptions" by Jose Saramago.

N.F.Y.*

* Not Finished Yet

This baby is BIG! I can't even take a decent photo of it because the light in the room is different top from bottom.. Things one doesn't normally notice. If I had floor to ceiling windows, maybe the color would be uniform.. or some kind of consistent light..

So close and yet so far away...

Getting close.. but not there.. SO many little adjustments to make...It seems critical to have space to step back and look at this painting..however my studio doesn't allow for that.. Hence, the photo.. I see things I haven't seen before, like the drastic color change in the bottom third of the painting... I wonder if it is really there, or if it is caused by the lighting in the studio (height of windows, etc.) I see that color change a lot, usually caused by shade.. but it wasn't intentional here.. And is this what I was hoping the painting would look like? A balance between a bit of drama and a soothing effect? I'm not sure. I probably need to leave it alone and return after a week or so... But my goal is to finish it before I go back East on Nov 6... Plenty of time, it seems..

Diving right in!

Above is the second layer of paint, where I try to define the wave forms, a step up from the underpainting below. Now the fun begins as I immerse myself in the water, the light, the color, the motion and the forms... I have a faint idea of where I'm headed but hopefully the painting will take on a life of it's own and all I have to do is be open to it.. Just like surfing!

Painting water

Funny, when people ask me what I paint I say "water", and they usually say, "watercolor?"

Color search

I have to commit to color when I start painting the big canvas...at least that is what I am telling myself. These were three specific studies done with different color palettes... The top two look like the same color, but are obtained by different mixes.. top is paynes grey, windsor blue... middle is indigo, cadmium yellow pale hue, bottom is ultramarine blue and olive...all have white as part of the mix (duh) Basically i wanted to avoid using the tubed indigo and tried to mix the same color with something else.. think i am close enough. Middle study comes close to the color i want.. bottom is too grey.. Fun figuring out the mixes..
(all are 8x10 on board.)

Wall easel

One of the challenges in painting large is finding the room in my studio..I bought a 48"x60" canvas, only to find I couldn't hang it on the wall (the nails kept falling out) or put it on my cheapo easel. So my husband built me a wall easel.. If he had his way it would have been much more complex. Pulley system, whatever, but I just wanted a simple system so i could hang a canvas and move it around easily. here is the result. The nails are removeable and can be moved up and down the supports. It works perfectly and I love it..


So no more excuses, I had get started. I have to say, this size is a bit daunting, but I managed to complete the underpainting today..probably 16 hours of work, more or less. It will dry quickly in this hot weather we are having, and then I can launch into the real stuff! I'm excited..

Backwash

Oil on canvas 30"x40"

Incoming

(oil, 15"x30")
Boy, did I enjoy doing this painting. I just launched into it, no establishing the image before I started to apply the color. (although I did use a photo for reference) The wave just appeared on it's own, pulling itself out of the paint strokes. I think I am finally beginning to see the results of all my experimentation, teaching myself how to paint, how to use oils... (not to mention all the time I spend in the water looking, looking, looking. )
I'm off to Bali for a few weeks, so no painting for a while...

Magnolia Gallery

Theresa Ryan, framer and creative person extraordinaire, offered to hang some of my paintings in the front window of her framing gallery... If you local readers are passing by downtown Larkspur, Magnolia Ave, check it out!

Very interesting glasss reflections..and yes, that is 200 pounds of sand on the floor..

Waiting

18"x36" oil on canvas

I'm either plagued or blessed with being a perfectionist. Especially when it comes to painting. So why don't I have the patience to get a really good photo of a painting? I just want to post it and move on to the next thing...Maybe it's because I feel limited with my camera...and am also not willing to take the time to set up a photo shoot.. In the past, I used a 35mm camera and shot photos at night with Kevlar lights and film. That always worked cause I took the time and knew what would work.. If it was important to me to have a perfect photo for some other purpose other than the blog, I would take the time or find the means to do it.. But a blog just seems so... casual.. and that is what I like about it.
For those readers who don't know, if you click on the photo it will enlarge..

Another sitting surfer

I've always been attracted to the image of a surfer sitting, waiting for waves. Usually this happens when I am also waiting, and have more time to turn my attention to observation mode, instead of just being on the lookout for the next wave. This particular day was beautifully calm and clear...and I was able to walk out in the water afterwards with my camera without fear of getting it wet.
This is a study ( 8"x10") for a larger painting. I didn't know if I had enough visual info to be able to paint the girl, as a black wetsuit just looks black in a photo (no shadows or highlights) .. so tried it on a small scale. I sure wish I knew more about color, and painting..

More aqua, less talk

8"x10" oil study

Surrounded

Walking into an art supply store is like walking into the proverbial candyshop.. Desire rules supreme.. I made a vow not to buy any new canvases until I use the ones I have...And most of them are quite small.. great for studies, experimenting, learning. But they always end up looking like 'pictures" to me...

I guess that is why I am attracted to larger sizes. I feel like I want to recreate the experience of being in or close to the ocean..The stillness or movement, the vastness, the color and form.. It never seems big enough. However, practicality takes over. My studio can only accomodate a certain size.. already it is difficult to stand back and look at the painting without some serious maneuvering. Painting larger also takes a whole new set of technical skills and supplies..as well as time.

When I am on my board, waiting for waves, I am constantly trying to figure out what color the water is.. Last week, on a particularly beautiful still morning, with LONG waits between tiny sets, I was shutting one eye and then the other, looking at the water around my surfboard, when I noticed that each eye saw the water as a different color.. The left eye saw more green/teal and the right eye saw more brown/green... Which was correct? No matter how I turned, it was always the same.. Could it be the angle of the early morning sun? Different eyes? Since I spend so much time trying to figure out just what color it is I am looking at, this discovery was quite a surprise.

The images below are small studies (8"x10" on board) done mostly from memory.. A mini test for myself. Have I learned anything? I think one thing I love about painting water is it's constantly changing nature.. impossible to hold onto.

Ripples

While patiently waiting for the right image to appear on a new canvas, I continue to have a foam drawing always in process.. Just finished this one.. I can't say "ripple" without thinking of a wine from the 60's? Or, "Ripple in still water" from the Dead? Anyway.....


Meanwhile I have been playing with some quick oil "sketches" on small (8x10) boards. As I always work from photos, I am trying to keep the reference at a minimum, relying on what I am learning from all this painting of water.. . It is really scary, and I feel like I am going someplace without a roadmap..or rather, I have been relying too much on the roadmap and now I need to trust my ability to get there on my own... At risk, of course, is perceived failure.. or getting lost..Often, it's when I learn the most. Will post them when they dry..