Quick and easy beaches and bugs.
Summer weather has settled in our area and I have little motivation to stay indoors and paint. The best projects are those that I can work on in short spurts. They must not require too much effort. And that's why I thought of beaches and bugs, two projects on my to do list that could be completed in a few hours.
First, the bugs...
In my stash of art supplies, I have an inexpensive Dollar Store canvas pad and I wanted to get rid of some sheets. To achieve a bit of symmetry with these bugs, I globbed (new verb ;)) leftover acrylic paint on one side of the page. Then, I folded down the centre of the page pressing lightly and allowing the paint to spread on the other side of the fold.
Next came the Sharpie and other markers, and glitter glue to suggest the sun shining on wings. In less than an hour, I had satisfied the urge to paint. Even though the sheets buckled a bit, the inexpensive canvas pad was perfect for this quick project. Checked that one off my list!
Then the aerial beach scenes…
This is the kind of painting I love. As I paint, I remember all the beach vacations, including several visits to the Jersey shore, Maui, Sorrento (Italy), Torremolinos (Spain), and family vacations in the Caribbean.
For inspiration, I visited Gray Malin’s website. Malin is an American photographer whose beach scenes are stunning. She photographs beaches from all over the world (isn't that a satisfying assignment?). Some of my favourite photographs include aerial scenes from East Hampton, Wailea beach in Maui, Navy Striped Umbrellas in Miami, and Bondi Beach, Australia.
The details of my beach scenes.
- Painted on 4” x 4” gallery wrapped canvases
- I used collage on some umbrellas
- Lots of texture in water achieved with Golden’s Pearl Mica Flake (small) to transition from water to beach.
- Please contact me if interested in purchasing or to commission me to paint something similar for you or for someone who might like a unique, hand painted gift.
YouTube video short.
I added a youtube short video to highlight the texture and colours.
And this tropical beach scene was painted before my last beach vacation.
Which beach in the world is your favourite? ( Mine is Maui.)
"Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone." – Unknown
Love these! The beach scenes are so cheerful. I could see them as wrapping paper!
That’s a great idea Catherine. I have been trying to be more playful lately so these were a few little experiments that are now displayed in my home and I rather like them! Thanks Catherine.
Wow Louise these are fabulous. I remember doing the butterfly thing with ink or paint when at Primary School. What amazing designs were created, and I love your beaches with the colourful towels and umbrellas.
Funny you should mention the butterfly because I thought I would like to try this technique with a butterfly and then adapt it somewhat. It’s on my to do list which is rather long! Thanks for stopping by Sally!