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Impressionist Beachscape

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For a while I’ve been wanting to break up my brushstrokes, and work a little more texture into my pictures. I like the idea of layers of Heavy Gel Gloss, and through them, beneath all the other colours, a few unexpected colours. Possibly even complimentary opposites ;) A fan brush will be perfect for that, and I filed that away.

In fact though, I quite liked the idea of using the recycled plastic canvas to paint in a way that was looser and more spontaneous, and the fact that the product extends the drying time of the acrylics a little bit, made it seems that this would be a great opportunity for me to experiment with using a fan brush and allowing whatever happened underneath to happen.

It was a giant experiment, and I’m really happy with the outcome.

Even happier, given that this dance, and the recycled product, are now going towards a fundraiser for a little boy with brain cancer (a spot that’s close to my heart - and my head). You can read about Hugo's story here.

I scrubbed in the sky using French Ultramarine Blue and White, I added a little bit of Dioxazine Purple to that to form the bodies of the clouds, and then brushed in the highlights on the clouds, letting the fan brush do its chaotic thing.

I then mixed the dry sand colour using White, Cadmium Yellow Medium and a touch of Dioxazine Purple, and started forming the beach and the dune area.

Drying time. The recycled plastic nature of the Sustainable Canvas seems to be slightly less porous than the cotton products, and therefore the drying time is longer. This is great for doing subtle gradations over large areas. Not so great if you’re trying to work quickly. For me, it required a slight change in process.

The whole aim of this picture was to stay true to the image (which is a headland down south that requires a 40 minute walk into - which also has great waves), while keeping the feel quite spontaneous and loose.

Using a similar process, I tidied up the headland, and reflected it in the wet sand. Again using the corner of the brush I worked into the tree, shaping the leaves, and then added a few more tendrils through the sand dunes.

I mixed up a paler colour and began defining the flat grassy area on the headland, and put some of the detail in the tree. I added some White and Cadmium Yellow Light, and repeated that again in the dune grass and the tree leaves. There was some to-ing and fro-ing for a while with variations of those colours. Sometimes more Cadmium Yellow Medium, sometimes more Cadmium Yellow Light. Sometimes more White, etc etc.

I mixed up a luminous green, and with the corner of the brush put flecks of it through the shrubbery on the dunes and in the tree. I then mixed up some Dioxazine Purple, French Ultramarine Blue and a tiny bit of Cadmium Yellow Medium and established the shadows underneath the pandanus tree, and then a few flecks here and there amongst the ground cover.

Then I came through with a kind of dirty green colour, and suggested some scraggly spinifex grasses over the dunes. I regularly stand under that tree after my surf.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out considering it was painted entirely with one brush, and a fan brush at that. I’m also happy that I did the place justice. It’s spacious and empty and clean. And a bit wild. I have a tendency to tighten up sometimes, I feel like I avoided that with this piece. Happy days.