Painting Events in Your Experience

At sunset the other day, I went out to photograph the sun going down when these two fishermen came back from a day of fishing on the bay.  I loved talking with them as they cleaned their fish.  The pelicans seem to know that a treat is coming, and they gather below the cleaning table in hopes of getting some of the scraps tossed their way.

Tomorrow I'll paint the scene and will have a memory of a nice early evening.   Again, consider painting what happens to you.

A Bird's Eye View

Eastpoint is connected to Apalachicola by a five mile bridge and causeway.  Just as you get to Apalach, the bridge rises over the Apalachicola River to allow the shrimp boats room to pass underneath.  This view is from the bridge to the wharves below.

A high vantage point or bird's eye view is achieved by placing the horizon line high on the page. The resulting diagonals in this painting act as pointers.  I employed a secondary color scheme with the orange used on the focal point surrounded by neutral greens and violets. 

Painting What Happens To You

Here at Sportsman's Lodge, it's pruning time.  I was somewhat dismayed at the timing since temperatures dipped below freezing for several days after the cuttings.  But what's done is done.

When I woke up this morning, I saw that the workman had left his ladder behind.  The green of the ladder against the red-orange of the palm tree drew my attention.

I had another subject in mind when I set up my easel on the balcony, but my eyes kept going back to the palm tree and the ladder.  I decided to paint an event rather than a subject.  As I've said before, sometimes you just have to wait to see what happens as well as what you see. 

Fish Signs

Converting the drawing to a painting involves a number of decisions, among them, color choices.  I used a very limited palette of various blues and violets, contrasted by some neutral oranges.  Enough said.

Avoiding the Literal

The design and composition considerations should always take precedence over the literal in your interpretation of a scene.  Choosing which elements attracted you in the first place should determine where to place them so that they become the focal area.  Select what to leave in and what to omit when working from photographs.

Here is a photo of a dock scene in Port St. Joe.

I felt that too much attention was on the woodwork.  I wanted to emphasize the fish signs.  I completely eliminated the background roofs.  Then I added a separate pole for the light, creating another vertical.  I subtracted some of the parallel boards.  I shifted the fish so that they were mainly on the thirds. I used one of the ropes to rhyme with the vertical poles.    Here's the result.

Painting on Dry Paper

I've been painting on pre-wetted paper to form glazes of colors.  Today I decided to paint on dry paper, building values on values. This produces a totally different effect.  I thought it would be more appropriate for the speckled light of a forest and waterfall. 

The colors I used were ultramarine blue , burnt sienna, and a bit of mixed greens.  The colors were subdued, so values became more important. 

I am also holding a workshop here in Florida on February 13-15.  For more information email me at

caroljessen@yahoo.com

Back to Color themes.

I've painted shrimp boats here in Apalachicola for nearly twenty years.  This year, after my summer of color,  I've added the element of inventive color to this old subject.  The full moon was inspired by this month's super moon. 
 
It's been too cold to paint on location, so I'm painting in my room here at Sportsman's Lodge.  In some ways that's a handicap, but in other ways it forces me to invent compositions and colors that wouldn't be easy while under the influence of on-location realities. 

Happily I still have three weeks here, so I'll hope for some warmer weather to let me take my old friend, my French easel, out for a spin!