WATER PAINTING #4: This is the photo I'm using as my inspiration.
DAY ONE: Yesterday I got started on both the sky, and the marshes in the distance. (If you look to the right of the easel, you'll see the other paintings in this WATER series, tucked away in my drying rack.)
DAY TWO: I spent some more time on the marsh before moving on to the dock which will be the focal point of this composition.
I thought I would "quickly" outline the boards on the dock, and then get started on painting the water which you can see through the boards...
That ended up being a lot more involved than I would have imagined. My sketch was quite SKETCHY— meaning not very helpful. After outlining a whole section of boards with paint, then realizing something wasn't quite right, I erased all that paint (using walnut oil) and then started over on that area. I needed to refine my sketch so that all the lines met up correctly. The geometry of the dock is what will make this piece strong, so it needs to be right.
I think I got it correct, and then went ahead and painted the outlines again. Now when Tuesday rolls around (Monday being Memorial Day) I'll be ready to work on the water which peeks behind all the boards on the dock. By Tuesday, the paint should be nice and dry, so hopefully I'll be able make more progress.
When it’s all said and done, my current series called “WATER” will be made up of seven oil paintings. Some of these are inspired by the shores of Lake Michigan, and some are from the Low Country area of South Carolina.
This particular piece (which I’m temporarily calling “water #4” until a better name strikes me) features a boat dock sitting in the salt marshes of Edisto Beach State Park.
I’m anxious to get a few more days farther into this piece as I think it will be one of my favorites. That’s why I’ve saved it until the end! I love the peaceful feeling of the grasses and water you see off in the distance.
I took this photo late in the day, soon before dusk started. The tide must have been out, because we stood on the dock and watching a zillion crabs moving around in the mud below us.
Having spent 95% of my life living in the Midwest, crabs are not something I’m familiar with. They sure appeared to be hard-working little creatures!
All the crabs I have known are certainly past the hard-working stage by the time I got a look at them…their legs, that is…on my plate. I think that you might be in the right place to see a little more of that, too. Now this painting is just going to make me hungry.
do you know how totally bad-ass you are Marie? I love the new paintings!
You are amazing! Love it!
Thank you!