Wednesday, August 7, 2013

August on the island

Busy beach today!
Have now settled into our house on the island and I got out to the beach yesterday for two little paintings. I knew this one would be a difficult scene to tackle but believe that you have to take these risks in order to grow.
As the tide came in the beach got smaller and smaller and so of course more crowded as all the sunbathers moved up and up! I really wanted to describe the mass of people on the beach and in the sea without attempting to paint the individual figures. For the closest people, this side of the row of rocks I have paid more attention to the shape of individuals. Those on the other side of the rocks are just dots and dabs using a few choice colours, particularly a sun bronzed skin colour as I judged that to be the majority colour!
I think that you only need to provide so much information and then if your viewer stands a few feet away from the painting their brain fills in the rest and they see not the individual paint marks but a lot of people on a beach.
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3 comments:

  1. Bobbi HeathAugust 7, 2013 at 12:47 PM

    Wow, Haidee, another stunner! Those dots and dabs are perfect. Glad to know that you are getting some time off at the island with the family.

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    1. UnknownAugust 7, 2013 at 1:18 PM

      Thanks Bobbi. Tim has to go backwards and forwards to UK for work but none-the-less it is lovely to be based here for August. Much easier to slow down the pace of life here, probably a large part of that is not having a car easily available! We have to cross in the ferry to get to the car :-)

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  2. Kev's ArtAugust 7, 2013 at 8:53 PM

    Great picture!! I like your commentary about it too. Of course, anyone can simply make dots and dashes, but it's the decision process that makes all the difference. Where to focus the attention and detail and where to let it go. It often determines whether a painting is succesful or not. Obviously, you've got it absolutely nailed here, it seems to me that getting better is more about leaving things out rather than what you put in!! By the way, a really useful demonstration on the SAA site about how to make painting boards. Thank you.

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Thank you for your words!