Beach Landscapes

Today my family went to the beach for President's Day. It was the first perfect day in weeks! Above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. My family hasn't gone to the beach together in over a month, and it was so nice to get back to the sun, the sand, and the surf. Not that we actually swam in the ocean; it was too windy. It was also too windy to play a good game of Frisbee, but we played for a good 15 minutes anyway and had lots of fun.

Sometime during the day, I just took a look at the wide open sea, how the sky turns from dark blue to light blue when it touches the horizon, and how the water looks greener the further away it is. I decided right there, "When I get home, I'm going to paint that!" And I did!

Believe it or not, I only used 4 colors to achieve these 2 paintings: Cobalt Blue for the sky, Green Deep for the ocean and shrubbery in the foreground, Burnt Sienna for the sand, and Burnt Umber for the palm trees.

Luckily I had the foresight to snap photos of my painting before and after I added in the palm trees, because both pictures are masterpieces in their own right. The first one is basic, creates a sort of isolated atmosphere, and is easy for anyone to copy. Before I could call it finished, I knew it needed something to make it stand out, so I would know that I put some creativity into my work.

The second one is the final product, and I'm very proud of how it turned out. When I showed my family, everyone loved it and said it was my best painting yet. Bettina said that the figure in the foreground looks less like a person and more like a trash can. I don't take it personally though. If I intend for the figure to be a person, than that's a person, but anybody can interpret it differently.

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think about my art, how it makes you feel and what it makes you think. Thanks!