Warm Waters Morning

Warm Waters Morning 24x36 oil on canvas in the studio.

A really simple beginning.  I started with a thin wash of paint.  In the past I have used thinners to get the initial shapes down.  I them moved to walnut oil.  Now I am using Safflower oil because it is more compatible with the oil in the paint that I am using.  

On the easel.  Checking the look of the overall composition from distance.  In this painting it was fairly easy to maintain the initial notan.

In this shot you can see the thin wash and brush strokes in what will be the water in the foreground.

With all of the shapes defined with different values, I began to add the color.

This painting had a very deliberate and simple color progression.  The slower buildup allowed for more subtlety within the painting.

The big finish.  Everything was set up for a quick and dynamic ending.

The finished painting.

The value shot.

The detail shot.  Time to evaluate the brush work and the abstract nature within the painting.