Sandbanks #6 final pass... you can't win them all!

I did not fair as well with the heavily gessoed surface... I missed the texture of the canvas and this played against me! The painting registers at 6 feet but lacks interest in a close up view (did not use alla prima) ... therefore this is only half a picture!

In a moment of sheer euphoria, I slapped a coat of matte varnish to attenuate the colors followed by a coat of high gloss varnish to highlight textures... and called it quit. The painting is interesting to look at from a distance but this is not sufficient to make it part of the collection (my signing it was only wishful thinking)!

I am not giving up on the approach... but for the time being, I will pursue my beach painting series using canvas by the roll to see where this will lead me.

While I am at it, here is my first shot at this other beach scene from Cape May:


... a rather massive & monolithic mother playing the role of life guard for a rather cute little surf boarder....

Sandbanks #6 : step II-III - getting out of my comfort zone!

I timidly applied a second layer of paint to establish the framework for bolder expressionist brush strokes with subsequent layers. The association of a multilayered painting approach with expressionism seems to be a contradiction in terms. As a compensatory move, I was sloppier that usual in my application of paint trying to cast the dye at the early stage to get the final look I want. I am crossing my fingers!


P.S. Could not resist a 3rd quick pass early evening... after a dinner with the muse!

Some tweaking of the face is still called for... but it is getting closer... especially when backing off 15 feet from the painting!

Sandbanks #6 start... going for expressionism...

Taking the previously mentioned heavily gessoed canvas, I built the foundation for an expressionist head. Need to figure out the horizon line... plus where I will include the bather (note to myself: head sticking out of the water!) to create this beach scene...

California beach scene I: final step...

This new canvas "by the roll" agrees with me... and could very well be my path to expressionism. Its feel is somewhat between raw canvas and the regular canvas I used to buy. The moment paint starts to behave like watercolors, at least in the initial phase... I am in familiar territories.


Worst case scenario, if I can't produce decent paintings, I can always sell my underpaintings!

Tomorrow, I will experiment painting over one of my previous paintings covered with 3 coats of gesso to get back to a white surface. The grain of the canvas will be absent...

California beach scene I: steps II & III - rolling with the punch...

This new canvas by the roll caught me off guard as liquid acrylics glided over it like watercolors and thicker paint sunk in it with grainy pastel-like effects. I was so perturbed that I forgot my usual ways for a while...with potential fringe benefits... if I can "roll with the punch" and bring it to fruition.


One thing is for sure... I haven't changed my palette and colors are popping up like crazy! Could it be that watercolors are creeping back into my work...

P.S. Couldn't resist slapping a 3rd layer late afternoon. Highlights and more contrast is next on the agenda.

California beach scene I ...painting with a roller... on canvas by the roll...

Running out of stretched canvases today (I used gesso on an earlier "defunct" painting of mine but now need to wait 24 hours before painting), I clipped a piece of canvas on a 45" X 45" Masonite panel... and went at it with a vengeance (a manner of speaking)!


The prospect of working in total freedom (I can turf the canvas if I don't like the painting), and without having to worry about storage really appeals to me for the time being... at this stage of my artistic development (I use the term loosely!). I can now graduate to larger paintings... literally painting with a roller on canvas by the roll!

Sandbanks #5... final pass, notwithstanding the urge to buy a barrel of gesso...

This final pass led to some further adjustments here and there... trying to recreate the best I could the mood of a hot and hazy summer day at the beach. I will use a matte varnish on this one to accentuate that very mood.

Meanwhile, I got myself a gallon of gesso at the art store today. I have been experimenting with acrylics for a little over a year and the sight of some of my early paintings is pretty painful. Looks like I could use some of those canvases for the completion of my beach painting series.

It seems that lately, I have become a painter of light and dark, contrasts and shadows. I use white to paint white and black to paint black! Could it be that Chinese black ink is creeping into my work...