Samana beach two - step I... couldn't resist painting those kids!

When I saw those kids playing in the shallow waters and the incredible colors and reflections... I knew I had to try to paint them... the ballerina style of the young girl caught my attention...

As usual, I'm a little apprehensive about my ability to capture this moment of beauty... I can't seem to shake out the beginner in me!

Samana beach painting one - final step... another one joins the "muse en or" collection!

I finished this one with relative ease in the spirit of "mind like water"...

... may as well keep plugging away with some more Samana beach scenes... in an attempt to capitalize on that momentum while it last!

Samana beach painting one - step IV... squeezing in a few brush strokes in-between chores...

A busy schedule today (paying income tax, birthday gift to my nephew, etc...) only allowed me half an hour to advance this painting. I dedicated this time to the key figure...

My brushes are getting all worn out (I use beveled brushes 1/2 an inch and over)... so I need to correct the left upper arm; the hairline needs some smoothing out as well. Water highlights will be next on the agenda tomorrow since the figure is now one step ahead...

Samana beach painting one - step III... up to my eyeballs in water and trying to resurface!

This third pass zeroed in on the water. Thinking Chinese black ink, I tried to respect the best I could the laws that govern water, making my brush behave like water... becoming one with the water. When I finally backed off, to my surprise, I got a flashback of that glorious day... however, I still have some work to do...

The completion of that third pass led to further advances with the main figure. By the look of things, surgical brush strokes and ensuring an even surface quality throughout (an unfinished look throughout!) should do it...

I seem to be back to my usual speed of execution... perhaps because I know the subject matter a little better.

Samana beach painting one - step II... roughing it out timidly at first... but unexpectedly on a crescendo note after the second pass!

In preparation for this afternoon, I used 30 minutes or so to establish a rough color scheme, actually rather timidly testing colors along the way. Funnily enough, each time I start a new painting, it feels like I've never painted before... as a result, achieving beginner's mind is always easy!

With this foundation in place, it's time to get bolder!

For some reason, this quick second run was done on an impressionist mode... perhaps because my head is still down south. I think I will hit the gym now (Tuesday is my training day) before a third pass... letting it simmer in my mind for a while...

I get scared when things progress too quickly (a joke of course)! This is a 24 X 30 canvas...

Samana beach painting one - step I... back to the beach!

The water in the Samana peninsula was so amazing color wise that I felt compelled to take many pictures of its beautiful abstract patterns. I hope I can render these half decently here...

I saw potential in this rather simple scene featuring a school of tiger fish (my own appellation for black stripe fish) and the muse sporting a swim suit with rather similar patterns... The fin like tuba is meant to add some drama... wonder what type of fish the guy is after!

Mid race II - final step... managed to dial down the background by hook or crook!

In the end, I decided to sacrifice constrast in favour of a stuffy stadium atmosphere. My approach for the background could have been more streamlined so freshness was lost relative to my usual process...

I keep telling myself that inside the comfort zone, there is no growth. I keep pushing the envelope and this painting was another attempt to do just that.

It's time to get back to the beach series... to take a rest... the hell with growth... I want to have fun... life's a beach!

Note to self: "I realize that it is easier and more effective to express in paint a scene that one has witnessed, observed, sketched or photographed as opposed to build from scratch a scene from other source materials such as video stills and images. The latter requires a lot of experience to make things look real. The 100 m series, despite being a good experience for me, suffers from my not having been there! "