Sand Piles
11 x 14
Rope Swing
20 x 16
Water noodle
16 x 12
I never get tired of watching kids playing in water. They seem so completely engaged. Probably, they look as engaged on the X Box at home, but not nearly so picturesque.
Water and sunlight are a joy because they give me an opportunity to bounce reflected color around the figure: saturating the shadows with warm purples, reds and delicate greens. The photo references for these figures show the shadows as near black, but I knew that couldn't be right. With such intense sunlight bouncing around the scene, I'd see a higher-key shadow and plenty of colour, so the photos were useful for gesture alone. In fact, I worked mainly from black and white, overexposed versions of the photos so that I wouldn't get sucked into believing their lies. If I were a very fast, on-location sketcher, that would have been the best resource of all.
These paintings are available at Oceanside Art Gallery in Qualicum Beach, BC. If you're playing in the sun and sea near the gallery, I hope you'll stop in and see them.
Happy painting!
