Lapping the Shore

"Lapping the Shore"

Image size 12" x 12"

Encaustic

As much as I love the look and sound of large waves, there is something very soothing about those beach days when there are just little ripples that come to the shoreline with just a hint of white foam.

Laguna Coast

Laguna Coast

Image Size 30" x 40"

Acrylic

I know I've painted this scene many times but this one is different.  It's pretty large and it's acrylic.  Acrylic is not the medium that I'm the most comfortable using, especially as thick paint.  I prefer using them as a type of watercolor, very thin and many layers of glazes.  I think my main complaint with acrylics is how fast they dry.  I do use a medium that slows the drying time but it still is frustrating and creates a feeling of tension because I'm trying to beat the clock.  Also, blending is not easy for me to do  with acrylics.

This is painted on a gallery wrapped canvas so there is no need for a frame.  That gives a nice, contemporary look that I really like.

Laguna Palms, 30 in 30 - Day 18

I finished another one of the poured watercolor paintings.  I really like the graphic quality of this method.  These paintings look a bit like wood block prints to me.  I have one more to finish so you'll probably see that one in a couple of days.

Laguna Palms
Image Size 11" x 15"
Watercolor

On The Beach, 30 in 30 - Day 1

With the new year comes new resolutions and challenges.  I've decided to start the year off with a challenge of a painting a day for 30 days led by Leslie Saeta.  She's done this before and in the past I've never participated.  I usually have a hard enough time finishing one painting each week but I decided to take advantage of the motivation I'm feeling with the start of the new year.  I know plenty of artists routinely finish a painting each day.  For me, the hardest part of this challenge will be picking what to paint.  I'm pretty sure that you are going to see a lot of fruits and vegetables sitting on a table.  : )

This painting happens to be fairly large but most of them will probably be small.  This took me more than one day to paint.  The beach where the photo for this was taken is dangerous for swimming but it's very beautiful.  The waves really do break right on the sand like this so swimmers would get slammed if they chose to swim here.  Sometimes the waves are so forceful that when they break, it sounds like a shotgun firing and the buildings shake.  Mother Nature knows how to get our attention, that's for sure.

Happy New Year everyone and thanks for looking at my paintings.  Your interest and comments mean a lot to me.

On The Beach
Image Size 12" x 30"
Acrylic

A View From Above - Encaustic

This is the third encaustic that I've done since I took that one day workshop in October and they are so much fun.  This one is the largest one so far.  It is 10" x 10" and my first two were 6" x 6".  I have a few supports that are 18" x 18" so my next ones may be even bigger.

On this one, I used encaustic gesso to prime the wood.  This time, I didn't put a layer of clear wax on first and I was much happier with the result.  When I had the clear layer of wax as my first layer, it made the colors I put on top do weird things.  I had much more control this time.

For me, the fusing is the fun part of encaustics.  Trying to get the wax to level out without moving it where is shouldn't go is a challenge.  On my next one, I think I will pick a subject with more detail to see what I can accomplish.

The finished encaustics have such a wonderful finish.  They can be buffed to a beautiful sheen and have a very unique look.

A View From Above
Image Size 10" x 10"
Encaustic

Secret Bay

Well, the waves certainly weren't very exciting on this day but I thought they looked very serene.  I was surprised to see a surfer walking out to sea across the rocks with his board (a little farther down from here....lots and lots of rocks).  The waves didn't look like they would be very much fun to surf but I guess this guy was determined.  The combination of rocks and flat surf made surfing seem like a bad idea to me.

Flat
Image Size 6" x 6"
Oil