Thursday, March 26, 2020

Pictures from Mar 21 email

I’m still working on studies from Aivazovsky’s wave paintings, trying to capture the luminosity and fluidity of stormy oceans. The first 4 are from different paintings, using different brushes: 1 = soft flat brushes; 2 = round brushes; 3 = hard angle brushes; 4 = round brushes on very wet paper. I like the round brushes, so that’s what I’m using in studies 5 and 6. 5 and 6 are studies of the same section of waves, just varying the technique. I’m experimenting with the order I lay down the colors, and gradually using fewer layers. 

In the final two, I am using titanium white for the foam of the waves. I thought about using masking fluid, but felt that it’s easier to keep the spontaneous look of the waves by adding an almost opaque layer of white. I plan on two more studies, using fewer and fewer layers.

--elaine t.



4 comments:

  1. They're all very good of course. What colors are you using? I would really like to see them at various stages of their execution. If you execute them over several sittings you ought to photo them everytime you set down your brushes. One thing this online class misses is seeing the masterpiece as it emerges from the mute white paper.

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  2. I like the effect you get with the round brushes in 2,5,6. All three really capture the roiling, furious water, but I really like the color gradations in number 2. Very subtle but effective. They all remind me of Winslow Homer.

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  3. These are incredible! You're getting the feel of water--the transparency, the color, the varying degrees of thickness, and the light coming through the waves. I especially like the colors you've used and the different times of day/weather conditions they convey.

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  4. You have been working and they look amazing. So vibrant and full of energy. Interesting how just changing the brush makes such a difference. Yeah, there's nothing spontaneous about using masking fluid. Have you also tried leaving the paper white while painting? Probably, huh.

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