TM8300 Dragon Weather 24×24 oil on panel

The water theme continues with a nod toward the Chinese landscape tradition. I have always admired the ability of  the best Asian landscape artists to say much with little, and to capture both the dynamic present and the spiritual in their works.

When I started this painting, it was with the monoprint technique of covering the panel with a solid dark color then removing the paint to reveal the image – in this case the gesture of a wave near the bottom of the panel. When I started wiping out the sky to lighten it, I saw a fierce cloud or dragon begging to remain.  This chance effect was better than anything I could have planned, so I kept it.

I continued to define the water, bringing out the form of the wave and adding highlights. I also glazed the sky with slightly rosy tones to complement the gray greens of the sea. A spatter of delicate white dots suggested droplets of water, and a decorative border of Venetian red-tinted dots was added to bring a slightly more focused feel to the painting. Below, you can see a detail of the distant water. Enjoy!

TM8300 Dragon Weather (detail)