TM8336 Blue Aria 36×48 oil on panel

Continuous change and movement draw me back to the sea, but it’s the airborne moisture that entrances me – all that come-and-go fog and spindrift.  It is elusive to paint, building up transparent glazes and washes, waiting for the paint to dry, then doing it again and again. All the techniques are  in service to the more important, and abstract,  meaning of the painting.  Of course the painting depicts a wave as it crests and crashes, but to me the painting is a meditation on time, momentum, letting go, and the music of the sea, which I hope you can hear…..enjoy!

TM8336 Blue Aria – detail

Technical painting notes – This enlarged detail shows mist and spume blowing off the wave. To paint the wave, I begin with a darker, transparent base color of blues and greens, let it dry, then use a chip brush and white paint to indicate the gesture of the water. The purpose is to get the sense of movement crudely and spontaneously;  it will be layered over multiple times, so the basic gesture has to be very bold. Once it is dry, I start refining it with highlights of titanium white and blue/gray whites using a fine brush. The fun comes when this part is dry, and I can start building up layers of grays and whites (mixed with abundant Liquin medium) and layering these “washes” on with a soft watercolor brush. The painting begins to take on life as the atmosphere becomes more dynamic.