Invitation to Adventure

© 2013 R.L. Delight, Invitation to Adventure, 4"x6", Oil on Copper

This painting is available for purchase on my Daily Paintworks site. Please click here to view and purchase!

It took me a bit of time to be ready to let this one go. I admit that this is one of my favorites. Not only am I please with the way it turned out but it led to a lovely adventure. I blogged about it in a post a while back. I will fill in a bit of background about this painting here as well.

We live in a small coastal community. My mate is a very outgoing guy and has met many people through joining and volunteering in the community. I am not as outgoing as he is but I do a lot of walking, usually with our dog Twill. I have met many people from a lot of different backgrounds just by walking with my dog. As many know, our Twill crossed over the bridge last August. I still walk but, without my beautiful four-legged ambassador, I don't meet as many people.

One person I met on the beach has lived here for many years. I have talked with her several times over the past couple of years and she would stop to chat when she found me painting on the beach. The afternoon I was painting this plein air seascape was very cold and I was shivering in spite of my layers while trying to finish it. When my friend came upon me she invited me to tea on the spot and I accepted without hesitation. While she was helping me put my gear away, the painting flipped off the stand and landed in the sand. Fortunately it landed face up but there is still a bit of sand along the top edge!

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying tea and conversation with two wonderful artists while surrounded by some amazing sculptures and an incredible view.

One of the very great pleasures of plein air painting are the stories that each and every one bring to me. This painting is one of the special ones.

The Gray Effect: Workshop Fundraiser #4

© 2013 R.L. Delight, The Gray Effect, 6"x8", oil on canvas panel

This is available for purchase on my Daily Paintworks site starting 11/17/13! Please click here to purchase.

The Gray Effect is another painting I created using a wave study, #66 in this case, as a reference. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been playing around with Notan lately. Notan is making a simple black and white sketch of the composition to place the light and darks. In my case, I used dark red as that is what I have at the moment. I did three Notan sketches to work out the composition on this painting. I played with the position of the horizon line in the first sketch. In the second sketch I tried a different horizon line but I also did a few quick mini sketches on the side to play with the wave placement. The third and final Notan sketch I added dynamic symmetry principles to come up with the final wave placement. I drew thick black lines to show up better in the photo for this post. Dynamic Symmetry is a whole chapter of posts in and of itself. I spent a winter studying it both graphically and mathematically about 6 or 7 years ago. I am a bit rusty but I remembered enough to use it here. Here is a collage of all three Notans:

Notan for The Gray Effect painting

The Notan on the far right is what I ended up using and has the simplified dynamic symmetry markings.
Here is also a side by side picture of Wave Study #66 and The Gray Effect:

© 2013 R.L. Delight wave study and final painting.

If you read the post about Wave Study #66 you might remember that the rain started to interfere with the paint causing it to not want to stick to the canvas. I raised the horizon line slightly and changed the shape of the wave a bit but, the colors and the wave shapes are fairly close.
I decided to call this The Gray Effect because the gray misty light brings out colors in the ocean waves that are usually only seen when the day is dim and filmy.  The waves also take on an inner glow which I had a great deal of fun trying to achieve. Not sure I hit it but I did enjoy the challenge.

I am still a bit behind but things are moving forward and are falling in place. I am ready for the new week!

Wave Study #65: Out of the Blue

© 2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #65: Out of the Blue, 6"x8", oil on canvas panel. 

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Here is the second painting in my workshop fundraiser series. It is also Wave Study #65.
Out of the Blue was painted at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park. It is a stunningly beautiful place. The day was our final warm blue sunny day of the season. It was a fantastic day to paint and I also had a painting friend along!  Our next blue day will be brilliant and cold. I titled this painting Out of the Blue because it feels like we have ran out of the warm blue days until next year.
This will be on my Daily Paintworks site November 5th, 2013. Click on the link below the picture to visit. I  have also updated my website. I had to visit every page and therefore saw the work I first put up last year. Oh dear. I have to admit part of me cringed. Another part was pleased to see the progress I made. Then, there was a tiny voice in the back of my mind wondering if this year's work will make me cringe next fall.
I am not where I want to be in my painting yet but I am getting there little by little.


P.S. Don't forget! Anyone who buys a painting will be entered into a drawing for a 12"x16" painting that will be painted after the workshop by July 31, 2014. In addition, if you refer someone who buys a painting, your name will be put in the drawing too!