Friday, March 12, 2010

"Way Out There"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold


How about a moment of Zen - forget the cold, wet, dreary weather outside and imagine yourself soaking up the warm sun on the beach all by yourself. And remember, brighter days are ahead. Not soon enough - but it's coming.

My first thought about this new painting is it can best be appreciated in person. The vibrancy of the skin tones, the yellow towel and especially the turquoise water and multi-blues sky - the texture and warmth in the sand, which I used a palette knife for most of that - yes, I wish I could hold up the real thing right in front of you. As with most paintings.




In the process of painting this, I did the figure first, the water next, the people walking about and in the ocean way in the distance - and then wiped the whole thing off. Those moments are funny - here I just spent hours on what I thought was nearly complete and it's as if my hand just took over and grabbed a rag and, in seconds, trashed it. So I sit there stunned for a minute, hearing that little voice that assures me it wasn't right and get over it. Just as quick as it disappeared, I start it all over again - lessons learned - which usually makes the second attempt much more successful.

Now.... mix yourself a margarita and click here for a larger view.



15 comments:

Michelle said...

Beautiful! It's like I can almost feel the warm sun and sand.

SamArtDog said...

Good for you for having the guts to trash the first version with any of its unnecessary stuff. What you've come up with instead borders on the abstract. You should go there more often.

Elizabeth Seaver said...

You and I are on the same page about the beach! This is wonderful. I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, looking at this "bather."

Violetta Smith said...

Wow! Karin, you have amazing ability to transform ordinary images into extraordinary masterpieces. Beautiful, I wish I could see it in person.

Terri Buchholz said...

What a great exercise in foreshortening. I love this painting. I can't tell you how often I visualized this scene in times of stress.

Susanna Pantas said...

this is great! Having spent many hours doing exactly what you're picturing in your painting... I can say that you have very accurately captured the mood!! I can almost feel the sun's welcome warmth after an exhausting battle with the surf. Nice.

Gwen Bell said...

Wonderful and warm. Thanks for the close thumb. Could see those luscious brush strokes much better.

Johnnie Sielbeck said...

Powerful! Love the color and the simplicity of sky-water-sand, the brash yellow punch of the towel.

irinapictures said...

Looks like you need to stay alone and have time to relax...
Great piece. As usual.

Autumn Leaves said...

She looks quite tan, doesn't she? This is beautiful, Karin. Your point of view and perspective on this lady is awesome and very well done indeed! I love the color of the water, so spot on. The textures in the sand just lend so much movement, the shiftiness of sand itself as water and winds move it about. Wonderful piece!

Debi Fitzgerald said...

Love it! Also loved that you wiped the bg... been there done that! You definitely made the right choice... the abstract quality of the bg really works!

Art By Erika said...

I love this piece Karin. Your skills shine through this challenging composition with the lady flat on the ground and the big sky above her. You are the tonal queen!!!

Jala Pfaff said...

Hear, hear!
And great painting too. I love how FLAT he is.

Mitzi Easley said...

Beautiful - and great courage Karin. I think you've made the composition very effective by letting your bather be truly alone... very zen-like and appealing. Well done!

kaycrain said...

Oh, I have done this quite a few times myself as has every artist most likely. You just know as you keep putting on more paint, that the end is near and inevitable. Sometimes you re-tackle the same subject...and sometimes you move on to something else. But if you know it isn't right, best to just cut your losses and move on!
Great job as usual!
k