"Abstract #3"

Abstract 4x4 #2

Gouache and Pastel with Ink on paper 4x4

This is another venture into abstract forms with gouache and pastel.  The limited size makes it easier for me to complete them quickly.

I set the basic form with gouache and add pastel to even out color, control edges, and set values.

Sunny Morning

Sunny Morning

Mixed Media - Gouache and Pastel 5x7

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.

Abstract #2

Abstract 4x4 #1

Gouache - 4x4 on paper with ink

Playing with a new toy - gouache - and a new objective - abstract with primary colors, shapes, and composition.

Estuary with Palm

Estuary with Palms

Mixed Media - watercolor, gouache, pen and ink with pastel

I started this scene of the St. Johns and Intracoastal estuary started as a gouache and watercolor painting.  I added the highlights and texture with pastel.  

Stormy Day

Stormy Day

Mixed Media on watercolor paper 5x7.

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.

Summer Is Coming

Pastel 9x9 on Sanded Paper

I began this painting with a sketch on my tablet using blocks of color and value.  My motivation was the passage from a small cove on the St. Johns River onto the open water.  On an early summer morning, this opening seems to lead to a different world.  I have worked with a limited palette with a few of my favorite "accent" colors thrown in for interest.

Early Azaleas

Early Azaleas

 Pastel on LuxArchival Sanded Paper.

The main idea that motivated me for this painting was the upright, somewhat unbalanced arrangement of these few large azaleas in this small ceramic vase. The brightness of the color was a bit overwhelming, but the values fall within a narrow range. I wanted to convey the light and brightness of spring with the these soft, temporary azalea blooms.