Stormy Sunset

"Stormy Sunset"

Image size 6" x 6"

Oil

I used my palette knife again this week.  It is so much more fun than using a brush.  I don't really enjoy using a brush with oils because I don't like the drag of the paint.  I'm used to the fluidity of watercolor and the heavy oils really bug me except when I use a palette knife.  Then it's like spreading frosting - such fun.  

Now I wish I had a cupcake to eat.😕

I painted the support red before I painted this and let specks of the red peek through.  

Molten Sunset

Molten Sunset

Image size 8" x 11"

Encaustic

When I started painting this, I had a rough idea of where I wanted to take it but as I progressed, it went in a completely different direction.  I started seeing a sunset so I went in that direction but in a very abstracted way.  

What do see in this painting?

Mexico Sunset

Mexico Sunset

Image Size 11" x 30"

Watercolor

Finally!  A post where I won't be complaining about watercolor paper!  I'm sure you were getting tired of hearing me moan about such a silly thing as paper.  For this painting, I used Waterford 200# cold press paper and painting on it was easy and predictable.

I haven't worked on this paper for awhile but I've always liked it.  It doesn't buckle like 150# paper does and it doesn't hold onto water so long which causes the paints to blend too much as can happen on 300# paper.

It was fun to play with the soft edges for these clouds.  The reference photo that I used has a boat in it and I will probably paint another version in the future and include that.

Sunset

I'm still in a tropical mood even though it is feeling like winter here.  I took a lot of photos of waves crashing while we were in Mexico and am planning to do a series of them.  This one is done on wood that has been gessoed using textured brushstrokes.  Even though this is oil, I worked the medium thinned down more like watercolor.  Some days, I just can't stand that thick dragging feeling of oil paints so I'm glad I had the underlying texture on the wood to give the painting some extra interest.

Sunset
Image size 6" x 6"
Oil