Storm Breaker - Update No 2

I worked mainly on the right foreground this morning. I had hoped to finish it, but had too many distractions, which included a power cut at one stage - it's a bright day today but I still need light in the studio! The painting is getting fairly advanced now and I will probably finish it in the next session.

Storm Breaker - Update No 1

I worked on the background a little more this morning. I'll leave it another day or so before working on the foreground.

Storm Breaker (WIP)

I planned to paint plein air last Friday, which was a beautiful sunny day after two days of gales and heavy rain. I had a hunch that there would still be some spectacular action int he ocean, so I drove to Hook Head. The ocean didn't disappoint, but I chickened out because of the wind - my excuse was that I would have needed a smaller panel and heavier easel. But at least I got some great photos and made some on-site colour notes.

Today, I just got the urge to do a wave painting from my numerous photos, so I started a studio piece (16" x 20") based on this photo:-

This was my initial block-in, about 10 minutes work. I'm always amazed at just how quickly believable light and shadow patterns emerge, with just a little care regarding relative values and pushing warm/cool differences a little (a lot relative to the photo but not compared to my colour notes):-

And after about another half hour or so:-

I think I may let it dry a little for a day or so now and poerhaps start another one in the meantime.

The Way Down, Skellig Michael - Finished

I finished this painting this morning. I made the figure a little more prominent by pushing colour and value contrast a little more and then worked mainly on the foreground.

The Way Down, Skellig Michael
(16" x 20" Oil on Canvas)

The Way Down, Skellig Michael

I did a little more work on this one this morning, mostly worked on the sea to get more definition and a clear suggestion of the direction of the incoming waves. I then added the figures and did a little work on the rocks. Hopefully, I will finish it next time.

November Floodwater - Revised

Following some feedback from a Wetcanvas colleague, I tweaked the painting a little in the sunlit area. Better for it I think.

November Floodwater, Edenvale

It was a beautiful day today, if a little chilly, so I headed back to Edenvale to see if I could catch the last of the autumn colour. I also tested myself by trying a larger canvas (14" x 18"). Surprisingly, it only took me about 2 hours, with another 15 minutes touch-ups in the studio when I got back. This is only marginally longer than I usually spend on smaller panels.

This time I remembered to take progress shots, which someone on Wetcanvas (http://www.wetcanvas.com/) had requested.

Firstly, here is the finished painting:-

November Floods, Edenvale
(14" x 18" Oil on Canvas)

Here are the progress shots:-

The only difference between the above image and the finished painting at the top of this thread is some minor adjustment to the foreground left bank and a few hints of grass in the right foreground. Other than that, I just filled in a few bare patches here and there.

Finally, here is a photo of the scene I took before starting:-