Vitamin Sea

Saw a sign this weekend that said, "The only vitamin I need, is Vitamin Sea."  Ain't that the truth. 

                                  Watercolor on 140 lbs paper 10 x 14

Sunset in Key West

Another wonderful Key West vacation has come to an end.  And what better way to reflect on an ending than with a sunset.  

                                         Watercolor on paper 5.5x12.25


The beaches of Key West are not quite the same destination as their northern cousins of Miami or Ft Lauderdale and as a result we tend to spend more time at the pool.  However, we really wanted to see a sunset at Smathers Beach.  I am happy with how the water/paint rolled down the page (when held vertical) to build the waves.  The dark green masses on the beach is the plethora of sea grass that washed onto the shore.  And if you look real close (click to embiggen), you can see the actual sand from the beach that I accidentally spilled on the paper.
 

And above is a poor attempt to stitch both halves together to better show how the paint ran down the paper to create cool looking waves.

Sint Maarten -- Part II Sailing to Anguilla

Sailing to Anguilla was a great day.  When we signed up for the trip, we did not realize it was such a booze crews (but apparently they all are).  The rum started early (learned about a variant of a Dirty Shirley made with rum) and kept flowing all day.  But that was not the highlight of the day.  For me, painting while sailing (see below) was the true highlight (that and the after party).

Below is the picture of the catamaran I did after a lovely lunch of mahi mahi, jerk ribs, curried coleslaw and rice.  It is my favorite piece of the whole trip.  In fact, it might be my favorite piece I have done in the past year (this or the old stone bridge).

                  Watercolor and pen & ink on paper 5.5x8.25

Below is a series of three small (postcard size) pictures I did while sailing to Prickly Pear and Anguilla.  Despite all the rum, not many people were talkative.  However, after I pulled out my watercolors and began sketching that all changed.  It was a fun conversation starters.

These three sketches are rough and loose and just plain fun.

                      Watercolor and pen & ink on paper 3.5x5.5 
xx

                      Watercolor and pen & ink on paper 3.5x5.5 

                      Watercolor and pen & ink on paper 3.5x5.5

Drift Wood

The goal of this painting was to utilize the transparent nature of watercolors to do layers of color, one on top of the other.  For the most part, the goal was achieved. The yellows, raw sienna, quin orange and new gamboge all play nicely together, making the scene rather tranquil, despite the dark, stormy blue sky (in blue apatite genuine).  

But it is the foreground, with its wild grass and namesake drift wood, that gives this painting a greater degree of depth than I normally achieve.  It was also one of the most fun area to paint.

                                     Watercolor on 140 lbs paper 9x12

Stan at the Beach

I doubt his name is Stan as I did not get the opportunity to ask him his name or what he thought of this painting.  He began to pack up his stuff the moment I finished inking the picture, so I had to work fast on the color and the shadows.  But judging from his Che Guevara bag and other accoutrements, I am guessing his name is not Stan.  But who knows, maybe it is.

                                  Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25

Almost Spring

This winter has been tough, even for those of us who enjoy the cold. I figured since Mother Nature was teasing us with an almost Spring day (it hit over 60 degrees here) before sending us more cold, I would paint something colorful. . .and warm.

                          Watercolor on 140lbs watercolor block 9x12

I used M Graham watercolors for this (I bought his Shades of Summer limited edition at a year end close out sale; highland green, bismuth yellow, cobalt teal, permanent green pale and scarlet pyrrol) instead of my normal Daniel Smith.  I did supplement with DS verditer blue to create a purple for the sky (I thought I would get a purple from the orange-red scarlet pyrrol and cobalt teal, but that made a nice brown I used on the beach).  Funny thing is, apparently MG and DS watercolors do not mix so well.  You can see the granulation in the clouds (this also happened on my palette as the mix dried).  That is too bad as I like these colors, perhaps I will make a MG only travel palette.

I like the layering of colors in the beach and the dunes, probably because I allowed the paints to fully dry before laying on additional paint. . .Ah patience, it is a virue.