7am Sky, oil on panel, 7x5
I arrive when the sun is just starting to come up above the
palm trees. I decide to paint behind the
bunches of sedges and sea oats. There
are no waves today, but I can hear the soft swish of water lapping against the
shore. A few pelicans glide by, looking
for a place to land. I face Northwest,
and set up my easel. The air is still
cool, and I keep my sandals on. I block
in the sky and the cool, grey clouds.
The water is slightly darker than the sky, with a greenish tint. The lower section of the sky is a beautiful,
pale green-blue, turning towards a cooler blue above. This morning the clouds are scattered in
clumps of small, round puffs, with dark purple-grey bottoms and rosy tops.
After I
finish the sky and water, I lay in the sandy area with a thin wash of warm
ochre and a touch of pink.
The sedges
look brown and green, and I use a palette knife to mark where a few tall sea
oats that rise above the horizon.
The
air is warming quickly, and I take my sandals off, scrunching my toes into the
cool sand.
Now, the water is turning
into a brighter blue and the sedges are lit up as the sun rises higher.
My painting is complete.
It is hard to leave the beach as another
incredible change in colors and light has opened before me.
Each painting session is like a deep
meditation where I become one with the sand, sea, and sky.
Visit my website
