Monday 28 February 2011

Landwash - WIP

Landwash
12 x 36, acrylic

land·wash [land-wosh, -wawsh]

–noun Newfoundland 
the foreshore, especially that part between high and low tidemarks.
 
I've been working on my second water painting of the year with this piece called Landwash - perhaps a push for the true meaning of the name as the water features strongly in it rather than the foreshore.  It is a combination of life studies and photographs that I took on an unusually calm day at Middle Cove.  The Atlantic was being gentle and washing the beach quietly with small wavelets such as this one, compared to its usual wildness.  I hope to enter this into an exhibit on water being held locally in April.

I've painted this using acrylics and they can be good and bad to use.  My technique mostly involves glazes of thin paint and sometimes some slow dry blending medium to help the process of keeping edges soft.

This piece is a work in progress on my blog and I thought I'd share what I have to date here.   The canvas is a 3/4 inch gallery canvas 12 x 36" and works well for the format of the wave, leading the viewer's eye across the surface.

There is still work to be done on the water surface, the detail of the wave itself and the texture of the sand/gravel of the foreground.  I usually have a couple of pieces on the go at the same time so that I can go back and forth every day or two between them, giving me a chance to view and adjust with fresh eyes.

Here is the transition of how the piece was built so far, with some detail pieces for those who like to step in closer and see 'how did she do that?'


 
 

6 comments:

Making A Mark said...

Fascinating - and I LOVE watching waves.

I didn't know they made canvases that shape.

Sarah said...

This is looking great, you have made a complicated subject look easy, (that is supposed to be a compliment because it is such a difficult subject!) I also like the different texture in the sand, looking forward to the finished peice.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Katherine,living so close to the sea, I have the advantage of wave watching daily, so the movement of the sea becomes ingrained in me.

And yes, these rectangular gallery canvasses are my current favourite and suit this composition well.

Thanks Sarah. It makes me a bit cross eyed doing all the water surface and wave reflections but hope its worth the time in the end.

I like how the sand texture is working too. Messy but fun to do.

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

Looking great Jeanette and good luck on the rest of the work.
Ronelle

Lindsay said...

your layers make for a very rich surface.

Jo Allum said...

Great water! so detailed and glassy! I too love watching the sea! aswell as coastal land/seascapes I love painting surfers and the breaking wave. Good stuff!