Ship on a Shelf

What a fun day this has been!  I have a new handmade watercolor sketchbook with deckled edges - and today is my very first entry!  Using a new tiny pan of watercolor paints (recommended by a friend)  and new watercolor brushpens, I armed myself for a morning of painting inside the Mission Antique Mall.  I've never used any of these supplies, so it was quite an adventure!  I first wandered around for an hour before picking a subject (I was so distracted by the antiques!)  and then, I sketched the ship out with my India ink pen on this fabulous paper.  It took me a minute to realize that I had to actually squeeze the pen before water would come out, and then it was right on to mixing my paints.  I finished this one and sketched out another, but alas it was time for lunch in the cafe - and it was wonderful!   A day well spent!  This painting is the 1400th in 1400 days!  It must be all smooth sailing from here :)

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Crashing Wave

Crashing Wave
Oil on masonite, 6x6

Tonight was a the "After Hours" event at GOT Art Gallery for the members of the Lee's Summit Chamber of commerce.  It was a packed house - and the food and punch were wonderful!  So, once again, I come late to my easel to return to the study of sunrise color in sky and water.  I have seldom painted the waves, and have never painted them crashing - so this is a day of pushing paint with brush and palette knife to create that movement.  I really like the way the knife skims over the tops, leaving thick paint in it’s wake.  I would like to order those mini blades (Catalyst, by Princeton), and try them out on the clouds and waves.  Maybe, I'll even go crazy and get really thick with that paint! Painting number 1136 in 1136 days.

Sails on the Horizon

Sails on the Horizon
Oil on wood, 6x4

I have been longing for the warm days of summer, looking out over the water toward the sailboats .....and painting from the beach, with the sand between my toes.  I’ve been studying the color shifts in the sunrise and sunset, and working to get those colors right.  I think they are so difficult to paint successfully!  So, I am hoping to give them more attention, and what better way than to reflect that color off the surface of water?  Practice makes perfect!  Painting number 1134 in 1134 days.

Sailing the Ocean Blue

Sailing the Ocean Blue
Oil on hardboard panel, 7x5
purchase here

Some days, I pick up my brushes and just feel like painting a certain subject.  Today, I was longing for warm seas and vintage sailing.  I have added some grumbacher's greenish umber for the depth in the ocean, as well as my new fav Rembrandt's ultramarine blue deep.  I've used loose strokes to bump up the movement in sky and water, with choppy highlight strokes to lift the waves.  The primed pale yellow of the panel pops through, adding warmth to the cool blues and greens.  It is important to ground water vessels with a dark shadow crease at the base of the ship.  Without it, the boat will seem to be pasted onto the water, instead of sitting in it.  Painting number 781 in 781 days.

All Sail and No Anchor

All Sail and No Anchor
Oil on canvas panel, 7x5
original sold - print available here

Today finds me switching gears and looking towards the open water for my subject matter.  I have only painted a sprinkling of boat/ship seascapes, but they always call to me.  There is something very special about being on the open water, sailing fast and quiet with the wind in your hair.  This feeling of freedom is alluring, and calls to be painted.  This is the smallest seascape I have done - only 7x5 inches.  I like how the tooth of the canvas captures spots of paint in the water - like the sparkle on the surface.  This is painting number 757 in 757 days and Day 26 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge :)

Song of the Waves

Song of the Waves
Oil on panel, 14x11
purchase here

Sometimes, the feel of the brush laying paint on the panel just feels SO good.....like coming home, like having all the time in the world.  This is one of those days.  After a busy morning, I actually had several uninterrupted hours of just me and the easel.  No starting and stopping.  No appointments to rush off to.  I'm not even cooking dinner tonight.  Just a little time to get in the zone and stay there.  I may paint all night - after picking up my son from basketball practice.  Ok, so I do have one more place to be - and I had better get there.  We'll get dinner out and then back to painting I go.  Painting number 692 in 692 days.

Deep Sea Sailing

Deep Sea Sailing
Oil on panel, 14x11

I have only just begun to research these beautiful vessels.  These tall ships are striking on any body of water - and the reflections rippling off the surface are magical.  The long, lean lines of this ship are gorgeous, and the mystery of the sea is timeless.  Learning the sails and lines are very much like learning the architecture of a building.  I simply start with the largest mass, in this case the body of the ship, and then moved to the masts.  I started at the front with the first line, then the first sail, second, and so forth in a methodical way.  This was an adventure to paint - and I can't wait to paint the next!  Painting number 687 in 687 days.