SUMMER EVENING, PART 2

After quite a bit of work on the rocks, I felt a little happier. The tones were still too light at this point but I would adjust them later on when I had almost completed the painting. At this point it was mostly just a case of laying down thin washes of color, slowly building up the form and textures of the rocks. I tried to keep things interesting and used a dry-brush technique here and there for added texture. I also put in the beginnings of gentle waves in the background and dropped in my darkest tones in the lower right.

SUMMER EVENING, PART 1

I started this watercolor a few months ago and am still working on it! My largest figurative work to date, I tried not to be intimidated by the large expanse of white paper. This one took a lot of initial drawing and some erasing of misplaced lines using a soft kneadable eraser - this I hoped wouldn't leave any marks on the delicate watercolor paper surface. After I was happy with the drawing stage, I washed on some raw sienna to establish a background tone then started with some of the rocks building up color from light to dark. The figure got a few washes too as I was initially unsure how things would look. So far, not quite the brilliant start I had hoped for but I was confident that it would come together towards the end.

ALONG THE COAST III

Some time ago I did a smaller study of this scene which turned out okay so I felt it was time to do a larger version. Still the finished work is not that large - only 12" x 9 " but is big enough I feel to more easily capture my thoughts and emotions that I have for the coast and for the sea. Growing up as a boy in Bude on the North coast of Cornwall in the UK, I spent many an hour beach combing, watching birds and climbing the cliffs around the harbour, so I suppose this painting is a reminder of that time. Oil on canvas, 12" x 9" (30cm x 20cm).