Framed Works for November

"Cedars with Color" - pastel 14x11, in frame

"Cedar Cove in the Rain" - pastel 20x16 in frame

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I framed these pastel paintings under glass with Econospacers.  I did not use mats with these paintings.

"Cedar Cove in the Rain"

Pastel on gatorboard; 20x16

Painting is available - contact me

The autumn colors of the salt marsh emerge with greater strength and brilliance when it rains.  Perhaps it is the softer light with the damp grasses that lets the reds and golds dominate.  The rain also makes the greens more pure up close then softer and more purple toward the horizon.  This is one of my favorite times of the year, and this view of the marsh is one of the best.

"Refreshed with Rain" Stage 3

 

Pastel on gatorboard; 20x16

BIG MISTAKE!

Important lesson for using self-sanded gatorboard - don't apply denatured alcohol to "fix" a pastel under paint and then rub it while the alcohol is damp.  It takes the sand off.  Here is the result.  I had to "resand" the lower half of this work which wiped out what I had done.

Picture was taken with a flash, obviously, because I didn't want to take the time to set up a tripod for this tragic shot.

Atmospheric Perspective on the marsh

"Atmospheric perspective" - value and color become less distinct and dramatic as distance increases. Soft edges are the result, but soft edges do not mean imprecise, blurred, or fuzzy edges. This is particularly true on the marsh. The horizon can be very distinct, but it is so close in value among the sky, the water, the tree line, and the distant marsh that the casual glance fails to see the distinction. That is the "problem" I'm facing in my current project. I must create soft edges with precision and keep them from looking fake.

"Refresh with Rain" WIP

Stage 1
This is the first picture - taken to check composition and color foundation. I've found that setting the color of the sky and horizon first creates the "key" for the rest.

Stage 2
Changed some of the composition.  Working on "soft" edges using value and color in the background.


Pastel on gatorboard: 20x16

Cedars with Color

Pastel on Gatorboard, 14x11

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This painting was started from beneath the Beach Blvd. bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.  It was raining, and the colors of the salt marsh were spectacular.  The part of the scene that attracted my attention most was the stark contrast between the dark, gray-green cedars with the marsh grasses and coastal shrubs that the rain had turned to brilliant green and gold.

With the rain, I had to do most of this back in the studio, where I could work with edges, colors, and the composition.