Tropical Bliss

Brother and Sister Digging in Sand

Some evenings we lingering at the beach, enjoying the colors of dusk after a long, hot day in the sun.  As the light waned adults and children continued to enjoy the warm water temperatures and sandy shore. 

This beach scene reminded me of beach vacations when my children were small.    With none of their own friends around, they played with one another.   This boy and his "older" sister worked at digging a hole that they hoped would fill with water as the tide came in.   It was a good size hole before the girl declared that the water didn't seem to be coming in or going out.  I just verified her statement.  Near the equator, the difference between high tide and low tide is small, compared to other latitudes.  Details of the shape of the beach, coastline, coastline depth and prevailing ocean currents can cause water level variation, but our location seemed immune to those factors.

This small watercolor now resides with a nice, young lady from Massachusetts who was watching it develop from the cabana behind us.  She said it reminded her of playing in the sand with her little brother on vacation.   I'm so glad it will provide a memory for her and her Mom.

Vacation Beachdays

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.

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.