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Monday, December 15, 2014

Stock Piling Subject Matter

    

We finally found a spot at the beach out of the strong winds that have been whipping through the States right down to Cancun and the rest of the Yucatan Peninsula.  My bathing suit hasn't been wet for a week and as for painting out doors alla prima with water colors forget it!  The paint goes everywhere, but where you want it. I tried again yesterday, but the sea and sky spread off the paper and washed the white towel on the lounge blue.   So again, I read AND PHOTOGRAPHED!  This one was taken with the IPad; clarity is missing and lighting gets confused when there's high contrast.   So, the rest I took with my Nikon CoolPix including a video of the crashing turquoise waves!  Next Monday, when I'm doing laundry where the winds really howl, I'll also be processing the hundreds of candid shots I've taken of strangers--all for future thirty minute morning drawing sessions or full blown portraits in oil.  I am stock piling subject matter, the perfect thing to do, when painting just isn't working.

What is working is my pencil:

      




        



10 comments:

  1. Oh my....what a wonderful view there. Love the sketch...palm trees are wonderful....aren't they!? Enjoy your time in such a lovely place

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    1. I marvel at the color of this sea just three hours and ten minutes from home. Only Thalo (blue) green can come close to matching it and that is not a choice in these basic WC sets I've brought along. The palm trees are marvelous especially when it's windy. The movement is violent, yet full of grace. I've had difficulty unwinding till I started reading fiction. King took my mind off what the hell am I going to do with that Venetian self portrait and took it to another magical world. He can really write a colorful sentence.

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  2. Hi Linda,
    Now...that's more like it! THAT'S a vacation photo! :)
    Enjoy,
    Gary

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    1. I took it for you! As you can see, the colors are off. The sun is out and the sea is efflorescent blue green. But I've got my Nikon in the other hand snapping everyone who passes. Hopefully, there will be painting material somewhere in those hundreds of shots?

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  3. Thumb nail sketch versus toenail photo! You are so clever with pencil and charcoal.

    Living as I do on the edge of the world, in Fishguard, West Wales, poking out into the Atlantic as we do in a house named 'Highview' ... you will not be surprised to know that the wind whistles by most days. But well worth it... the 'light/colours' are amazing

    You shouldn't be talking about laundry when you're on vacation, get on with relaxing!

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    1. The pencil stays put! While I do have charcoal in my beach bag of a studio, I've yet to pull it out. Charcoal dust on top of blue spotted towels would be just too rude.

      Your portrait is a good start. I saw last second that you did it in acrylic--shouldn't be any problem lightening up her hair. This watercolor though is unforgiving--or maybe I am after nearly a year delving into painting techniques? I intend to keep playing around till I get my child back. We may have to stay quite a few more weeks. :-)). Of course Ellis will probably balk at that.

      Your new spot on this earth sounds romantic. Heath Cliff and all that stuff. Lucky guy!

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  4. Love the photo of your feet! :) Your sketch is wonderful - glad you could at least keep pencil and paper working in the wind gusts. That's why I don't like plein air painting. I look forward to seeing work based on your candid camera!!!
    Kathryn

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    1. Pencil and paper are always a good standby. It's amazing how difficult it is to paint plein air with WC! First, dealing with the winds. Then, not having any paper toweling--just bar napkins, which shred very easily leaving wet pill balls all over. In previous years I used water color markers. They were controllable. They, unfortunately ,are not suitable for this lovely 300lb paper. It's best I save it for wet into wet at home.

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  5. That is a real cool holiday photograph! Hope the weather gets better soon, but you have done some useful work for future paintings!

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    1. The winds have died down, but I still haven't picked up a brush. We've been sitting on the beach and would you believe fresh water is just too far away for all the refills you need for WC. There's always some excuse for not painting, but not enough clean water is a good one I think. :-))

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