I haven't posted a work in progress (WIP) in a long time, and this painting will make a good one to talk about as I work on it. My Daughter took a picture of a beautiful sunrise over a dark landscape. I loved the colors of the sunrise in the sky, but not the landscape. I like to paint seascapes, so I came up with a vision to put the sunrise over the ocean, so I used another reference photo for the water. (more about that later)
The canvas is 2 ft. by 4 ft. a perfect match for the panoramic view. I had already painted in the first layer for the sunrise before deciding to use it for a WIP. The second picture shows a base of light to dark greys for the water in the foreground. The horizon has to be perfectly straight and should not placed in the middle. I used masking tape and measured to make sure the tape was straight.
In the next picture, the reflected sky colors are being laid in over the gray base for the water. Note the reflections are mirror images of the sky. The painting is starting to resemble some reality. Two reference photos are used to paint from: one larger and one smaller with different exposures to see what looks best for the work.
01/11/18
In the below picture, wave movement has been added to make the water come alive. Here, blending a darker gray for the wave shadows can be done on the palette and on the canvas. More color is needed in the water and will be added in the next session. While the water section is drying, work on detailing the sky shapes and colors will be done. I plan to add more pictures as the painting progresses, so check back in a few days if you want to see what happens.
01/12/18
Another great day at the easel with more progress made. Take a look at the below picture to see the changes in color intensity which is a result of adding more layers and finding things to improve and correct. The rising sun is to the left of the painting's center and creates a brighter gradient on that side vs the right side of the canvas. A nice effect. I will be painting more this weekend and hope to have another update posted.
I hope you find this WIP interesting and helpful.
02/02/2018 I finally finished the 'Winter Sunrise' oil painting today. It took a bit longer than expected. The photo is a cell phone snap shot. I am hoping the weather will let me take printable photos tomorrow. The painting is 2 by 4 foot and mounted in a black custom built floater frame.
The palette consisted mainly of the primary colors mixing with white and payne's gray to obtain the varied intensities of light and colors. The main chore was to obtain the harmony of reflected light on the water with the colorful sky. I also deviated from the reference photo to make the painting more believable and easier for me to paint. Actually, I used two references to create the painting: a photo for the sky and another for the water. I pasted the water from one photo under the sky of another to create the refence seen in the work. Probably why it took extra time to finish.
This painting brought back memories of my youthful days in the navy looking out over the expanse of the ocean and how clear the skies are there. Also, the many great fishing trips, when we left before daylight, to fish offshore or in West Matagorda Bay.
I hope you have enjoyed the posting of a work in progress. I would appreciate your comments and especially if you would like to see more work in progress postings.
God Bless You,
jimmie@bartlettpairart.com
