A Raft of Otters
A Raft of Otters (#2) under painting: raw umber, burnt umber, and turpentine are used to tint the canvas and develop form.
Paintings in Progress
Below you will see three of my latest paintings progress from the underpainting to the steps involved in a layered painting. The three paintings are A Raft of Otters (#2), Oak Tree, Bixby Ranch, Big Sur and Sunset Session, Silver Strand Beach. I will update the step by step process as it develops.
Oak Tree, Bixby Ranch, Big Sur
The title of the second painting in progress is Oak Tree, Bixby Ranch, Big Sur 50”x60”. The photograph was taken during late spring when the tall grass is turning from green to brown.
Sunset Session, Silver Strand Beach
From a surfer's point of view riding an eight foot hollow wave inspired me to paint Sunset Session, Silver Strand Beach, 50”x60”. With the surface of the water sparkling with yellow, orange, and red sunlight.
A Raft of Otters
A Raft of Otters
Currently I am working on the painting of "A Raft of Otters", Big Sur (#2) 30" X 40". I took the photograph of five otters resting in the kelp from a stretch of beach near Julia Pfeifer Burns State Park (north of McWay Falls). Springtime is otter time. During the summer and fall season the kelp beds grow and develop from the near shore area out to a quarter mile from shore. The rough winter swells tear the kelp beds apart, so by spring the most developed kelp beds are very close to shore. With the otters resting in the kelp between meals, spring is an ideal time to photograph them in their natural environment.
A Raft of Otters (#2) underpainting: raw umber, burnt umber, and turpentine are used to tint the canvas and develop form.
Three values mixed with cerulean blue, manganese blue, and white are dry brushed over the dry underpainting. A bristle brush is used to develop basic form of the moving water.
The first layer of thin dry brushed paint representing the surface of the ocean is complete.
Two values mixed with viridian green and yellow ochre are dry brushed over the kelp areas, developing basic form.
Spot glazing with cobalt blue and phthalo turquoise on the ocean surface, kelp, and otters fur is the first step in developing the illusion of translucent water and reflected color on the otters fur.
The first layer of thin dry brushed paint representing the otters fur is complete. Mixtures of raw umber, raw sienna, yellow ochre, and white are combined to develop the basic form of the otters body and fur texture.
Oak Tree, Bixby Ranch, Big Sur
Oak Tree, Bixby Ranch, Big Sur
The title of the second painting in progress is Oak Tree, Bixby Ranch, Big Sur 50”x60”. The photograph was taken during late spring when the tall grass is turning from green to brown. The morning fog had just cleared, creating cool green cast shadows and beautiful warm brown spotlight effects on the trunk of the tree and branches. The gnarled and twisted tree branches are shaped by the north west gail force winds that blow directly off the ocean.
Oak Tree, Bixby Ranch underpainting: In the first step all colors are thinned with turpentine. The sky is tinted with cerulean blue, the grass is tinted with raw sienna and viridian green, and the oak tree is tinted with raw umber. Some basic form is developed in the underpainting.
The sky is roughed in with cerulean blue, manganese blue and white. The tall grass and cast shadow is roughed in with raw sienna, naples yellow, viridian green and raw umber. The oak tree is roughed in with raw umber, raw sienna, viridian green, and white. The form of the branches, tree trunk, and tall grass are developed with dry brush, and spot glazing.
The sky is developed and finished with dry brushwork and spot glazing. The colors used are manganese blue, cerulean blue, and alizarin crimson. The pattern and shape of the leaves are developed with small brush marks. The colors used are viridian green, terre verte, windsor emerald, naples yellow, raw umber, and white. The dry brush and spot glazing technique is used to create form on the tree trunk and branches. The colors used are raw sienna, raw umber, viridian green, and white. More detail is added to the grass with overlapping brush marks of viridian green, naples yellow, and raw umber.
Sunset Session, Silver Strand Beach
Sunset Session, Silver Strand Beach
From a surfer's point of view riding an eight foot hollow wave inspired me to paint Sunset Session, Silver Strand Beach, 50”x60”. With the surface of the water sparkling with yellow, orange, and red sunlight, it makes tube riding a surreal experience. The whole wave painting is constructed of paint brush marks 3/4 of an inch long and ⅛ of an inch wide.
One third of the oil painting is complete. A variety of blue, purple, red, orange, and yellow colors are used to develop the shading, form, and motion of the wave.