Saturday, March 29, 2014

The Great Barrier Reef, 34

day 5: a day (or more) of rest

Although I was trying to create a thing-of-beauty, I'm now wondering if my over-exaggeration of color was an expression of concern for the state of the world: Are these the beautiful fish of the deep, or are they the glowing inhabitants of our troubled waters?


day 4: the finished painting
I started out with a soft paintbrush, blending the underwater blues evenly and adding thicker paints for the sunlit highlights. But it was underwhelming. When I tried wielding a finer brush with noticeable brushwork, something good happened. I was then able to relax and enjoy the painting process. (The blues in the water are actually more vibrant in the actual finished painting...)
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF, 8x10" original oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Can't decide how to approach this painting. Do i want something soft and sort of ethereal, or something with more saturated colors that sort-of pop?


day 2: capturing the selected image
OK, this is awesome! We are swimming in the waters of The Great Barrier Reef (Heron Island)!!! with the Google camera person(s) as our guide(s). Here's the link that will get you there:

day 1: planning the destination
Ever been scuba diving? Not me! I can't even swim. Hope I live to paint about this!





Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Doors, 33

day 5: a day (or more) of rest

“There will always be a door to the light.”~Shiro Amano, Kingdom Hearts


day 4: the finished painting
The finished painting turned out pretty much as I had envisioned, with extra leeway for surprises. That corner
area where the beam of light strikes the wall was important, and I hope I did it justice.

This painting is for sale in my online store (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/183957385
DOORS, 8x10" original oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
I decided to crop-in pretty close and to take a lot of the extraneous stuff out. I tried moving things around a bit so 
the blank wall wouldn't be so prominent. Then again, a blank wall can be interesting too...


day 2: capturing the selected image
Main Street in downtown Half Moon Bay wasn't hard to find on the map, and when I dragged the little pegman into street-view,
I was magically brought into the interior space of this lovely inn. Since I love painting these types of "portals", this inn was in! 

day 1: planning the destination
A friend recently mentioned spending an enjoyable afternoon in Half Moon Bay, California, reminding me how much I love 
this area. So, here we are...