For a color fanatic like myself, few visual experiences compare to the sight of turquoise water lit by a the brilliant sun at the equator. The ocean water and everything else - clothing, towels, beach umbrellas, float toys, flowering shrubs, macaws, parrots, even the fruit salads were undiluted color. This feast for the senses produced a strong urge to capture the sights and sounds in any way I could. Photos, sketches, watercolors, video and the most portable method of all - memory. Although, as time goes by, memory is no longer so reliable.
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| Vacation Beachday |
I have yet to step up to the challenge of air travel with all of my oil painting gear. I brought several watercolor blocks, a watercolor set and tubes of extra color, including pthallo blue. Everyday at the beach, I would keep several watercolors in progress. The heat allowed for a very fast drying time...sometimes that was a good thing and sometimes it was not - like when I wanted to work wet into wet.
To the right is a scene at the beach we frequented the most. There were more painting potentials than I could imagine - perfect for practicing my drawing.
As I review these paintings at home, I realize that in the brilliant sun, the colors seemed bright enough, but back home, especially indoors, the colors look bland. The horizon line was a sharp stripe of deep blue and the shallower waters were gradually lighter and greener, beautiful turquoise. In this photo, the closer water actually looks white! I will need to further saturate my colors in the studio - a good lesson that I hope I remember for next watercolor session at the beach this summer.
Stay tuned, lots more tropical watercolors to come.
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