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| On Shore Wind |
In the mid afternoon when the on-shore breeze takes over, the sea oats hold their heads and bend with the wind. A few seagull sail by waiting for the wind to drop and tide to go out.
Pastel saved this small painting - when the watercolor gets out of hand, I call in the cavalry - pastel cavalry, that is.
These broad stretches of open pines, palmettos, and tall grass evoke a sense of the old South. In the early morning as the fog rises before the sun, the sense of time is lost and one might imagine walking this old, dirt road with a good dog looking for the quail.
This painting was done in preparation for a larger painting of the same basic subject. My first pass of watercolor lacked purpose and movement, and the focal area was ill defined. I added pastel touches to the pine trees and created the old roadway to lead the viewer into the painting. I am satisfied with the result.
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| Sunny Morning |
This small study is another exercise in mixing pastel and gouache. I like the wash and tone I can get with gouache as well as the precise details while the pastel is at hand to add sparkle and to tie the painting together.
I selected this view of the ocean and beach through a gap in the dunes to emphasize clear brightness of the morning, the brisk sea breeze, the building waves, and the coming heat of the day.
Stormy Day
My objective was to capture the dunes and sea oats on a cloudy day when the colors and values are somewhat muted. I started out as an link and watercolor wash but the colors and values did not work. I tried to fix it with gouache and created some really flat, dull, lifeless forms. Pastel to the rescue! The result in truly mixed media accomplished what I wanted.
Pastel on sanded Arches watercolor paper Size - 29 x 21 1/2 Completed 9-8-2009 I have this painting on a bedroom wall - it's been there ...
