Wave Study #37 Redux and Final

Yesterday was a sad, strange, and gloomy day. We live in a small town with around 730 full time residents. You get to know people. Yesterday the news flashed around that one of our friends, neighbor, and fellow band member suddenly passed away. Well, let's just say I didn't get a whole lot of work done in the studio yesterday and what I did do isn't really ready to be put on the blog just yet. The weather isn't helping any either, wind, lots of rain, and dark gray skies. Twill and I get drenched everytime we go for a walk. I continued to work in the studio but my mood is as sad and gray as the sky so I apologize for the gloomy post but life happens to all even in the midst of beautiful creativity.

I finished Wave Study #37. I did contemplate just leaving it unfinished as it is a study but it was nagging at me, so I finished it. Here it is:

©2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #37, 6"x8", oil on canvas

I don't take pictures of the waves I work on just the occasional picture to share the wild scenery so this was completed from memory. Here is what I did to "finish" it. The waves needed brightening and a bit more definition. I needed to get the wavelets and the idea of the foam in to define the planes and water. I also had a teeny bit of the sand to put in. That was it. I feel better about it now and can move on.
I love walking my dog Twill. It gets me out of the house no matter what the weather and it allows me to see the turn of the seasons, sun, moon, tides, and stars. This time of the year, I am encouraged by the growing light as the days begin to lengthen. The gray and gloom will pass, it may occasionally return, but it will pass.

Wave Study #38 and a Sick Pup

My poor girl dog Twill is having digestive problems. She got me up in the wee hours of the morning to take her out into the cold dark. She pretty much comes to get me every 2 hours or so.
With that issue, I knew I couldn't get a full painting session in this morning and the conditions were just right for painting. I did get about an hour in on a wave study. The tide was coming in and the sneaker waves are still quite unpredictable and erratic but the waves are not as fierce. I still had to grab my easel and run no less than four times! Here is Wave Study #38:

©2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #38: One hour sketch, 6"x8", oil on canvas

There was a wonderful color change in the water from the horizon to the shore and I decided that I would focus on that. The sun was going in and out and was diffused even when it was out. Even so, the colors kept changing. I really wanted to get the colors when the sun was mostly out. I am fairly pleased with the results of the study. There are no details and I would want to refine the edges but the color change, which is what I was after, is pretty close to what I was seeing.
Twill is laying at my feet with her poor guts rumbling away. I am sure it is just a matter of time before we need to go back out. Here is my beautiful girl enjoying the summer sunshine last July or so.
Hopefully she will be back to normal soon.

©2013 R.L. Delight-Twill in summer.

Hail and Fury: Wave Study #37

Hail on the beach

I couldn't resist heading out this morning to paint at high tide. There were some pretty serious warnings out. To quote:
A paraphrase from the National Weather Service,
"Chaotic high surf will pose a threat to beachgoers tonight and Saturday before dissipating later on Saturday.
Expect powerful west to northwest swells of 20 to 25 feet, with a period of 15 to 16 seconds."
“Anyone near the surf zone will be prone to being swept away by erratic and unpredictable sneaker waves that can be much larger than the general seas,”
I was careful. I stayed sneaker wave distance away from the surf zone. 
Of course, it was still stormy. I got the sky laid in on the painting and then was hit by a hail squall. As you can see from the picture above, I folded my box a bit to protect my painting and palette and waited it out. All the white stuff, which looks shiny, on the sand is hail. I also had a hard time keeping it off my camera lens which is why there is a few blurry spots. I will have to remember to pack some goggles. The hail was stinging my face and eyes in spite of my hood pulled forward.
After the squall passed I continued painting but I had trouble with water getting on my palette and into the paint. That makes it not want to stick. So I got what information I could and brought it home to finish. I worked a bit more on it before having to break off to do a few things. I will do my best to get it done tomorrow while it is still somewhat fresh in my head.
The waves were stupendous.
Here is the wave study in progress:

©2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #37-Hail and Fury, 6"x8" oil on canvas. In progress.

Pretty dramatic sky and the crosswaves were pretty spectacular too. The lighting was almost eerie in its intenseness. This has a little bit to go still. I wanted to just get the basic elements and the value and color relationships in before having to break off. I barely got it in at that. 
There was a lot more action than I could or even would want to portray. 
And the sneaker waves? They were fast and frightening. I set myself up pretty far back and they never got less than 15 feet away from me but they would come roaring up the beach and I would hold my breath to see if they were going to jump the rocks and keep coming. 
Even though I was painting at high tide, I still had to be fairly far away from the surf zone. 
Well, it has been a long day so I am off to bed. Life drawing in the morning.

Book Report-Frederick Waugh

Frederick J. Waugh-American Marine Painter by George R. Havens, University of Maine Press, 1969

 To paint the sea you must love it, and to love it, you must know the sea. -F.Waugh

Today was my expedition up the coast to stock up on supplies and sundries. It rained and hailed but I made it through just fine. Tomorrow we are supposed to get a nice winter storm and I will be snug in the studio painting.
Tonight I thought I would post a brief book report on Frederick J. Waugh-American Marine Painter. I have read other's comments on the book and it seems to me that most seem to not think much of the content and style of writing. I would be interested to know why. The book was written in 1969 and based on interviews of the son and daughter of Waugh as well as written and anecdotal information from friends and associates. The language and tone of the book is from a more formal era than that of books we read today. I rather liked it. It seemed to be in keeping with what apparently was Waugh's character.
Most of the book mainly focuses on his marine painting career which basically began when he was first married and had moved with his bride to the Isle of Sark. The book also discusses his childhood and artistic training. Frederick Waugh apparently wasn't a temperamental or "colorful" artist instead he was a well trained, hard working, and enthusiastic artist. He and his family are portrayed as loving and supportive.

I found the biography interesting and informative. It gives a pretty good idea about what it takes to be an artist of that caliber. I was surprised to see how some of the economic and political challenges he faced are similar to what many artists face today.

In between all the biographical information would be the occasional quote or observation on his working methods. The final chapter before the conclusion also contains a summary of his unpublished manuscript on his methods of painting the sea. Oh how I wish someone would unearth them if possible and print them up (preferably in an e-book!).

It sounds like he had a fantastic life and well-earned recognition during his lifetime. Here is a quote from one of my favorite passages describing his methods:

 Hour after hour, Waugh studied the complex movement of waves and foam. He learned how to concentrate his view, how to master one single detail at a time-the sudden curl of a wave, the flash of brilliant green of air-filled water where the light shines through, the rushing, variegated pattern of white spume near shore, the angry mass of surf flung high above the black rocks.*

I was also amused to find that painting the sea is still as challenging today as it was then:

 The tides rise with fearful suddenness in this region, sometimes as much as thirty or forty feet in all. Forgetting this in his absorption-or not yet having learned it perhaps in his newness to the island-Waugh was once nearly caught in his dangerous post of observation by the on-rushing water. Just in time, he managed to  scramble back hastily to the top, leaving his paint-box behind.*

The tides in my area can rise above 9 feet, which is bad enough. However, the sneaker waves here travel 50 yards quite suddenly. Have to watch for those. Thankfully I haven't had to leave my paintbox behind, yet, and hopefully never!
Frederick Waugh lived a long and productive life. I wish there was more about him as he is definitely under-appreciated. I had to return the book, which I got from the library on an inter-library loan. I would love to have this book in my collection to read and re-read for inspiration.  Alas, it is quite pricey being out of print and all. The copy I had was marked "discard". Someone had scored a good bargain and then donated it to the college library, for which I am thankful.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in painting the sea, art history, or even for just an interesting biography.
I will finish the post with a picture of the Central Oregon Coast taken as morning broke on our December drive to California. This rest stop is fantastic and the waves and swells there huge. They slosh around and make the most amazingly awesome sounds.

©2013 R.L. Delight, Rest stop on the Central Oregon Coast as morning breaks.

Oh, and need I say that the Isle of Sark is high up on my list of places to visit and paint?

 *Frederick J. Waugh, American Marine Painter, George R. Havens University of Maine Studies. No. 89., pg. 53.

Homemade Wet Panel Carrier

My homemade panel carrier just needs the finishing touches of the carrying strap and latch. I will show the pictures and then give a quick explanation:

Wet panel carrier-front view with lid open.

Wet panel carrier-top view with carrier on side and panels.

So backing up a tiny bit. My little thumbox that I use for plein air painting only holds two 6"x8" wet panels. I have had a bit of trouble with them occasionally slipping and getting into the paint on the palette which sits directly opposite of the panels when the box is closed or underneath the panels when it is open. I want to be able to carry at least three wet panels back home with me so, after a bit of online research, I made my own. 
This little carrier is made from a weather proof moving sale sign which can be found at a hardware store. I glued 1/4" square dowels on the inside to hold the panels apart and upright. I also used Gorilla Tape to hold the whole thing together. The carrier will hold 4 panels. If I get really ambitious and end up staying out for the whole day to paint wave studies, I can still get two into my thumbox for a total of 6 wet panels.
I didn't bother to make a pattern first but took measurements of my panels and cut fold lines into the sign. The whole thing folded into a box with a lid and was taped together. The Gorilla Tape is quite heavy duty and the box feels very sturdy and lightweight. We shall see how it works.
I spent my break time today doing a little online research for lightweight portable shelters that I can paint from in the wind and rain here on the coast. I will be posting the results of that in a few days.
We have a big storm coming in on Friday so tomorrow will be spent getting everything up to speed so we can be snug and warm, which means a trip up the coast to stock up. I will be spending Friday happily painting away in my warm studio.
A final note, I am being slammed with spam comments, which I delete so they haven't made it all the way to the blog. I may have to reinstate the word verification. I really don't want to because I know it is a pain. Hopefully the spammers will give up when they see their comments never get posted.
Storms are sweeping across the U.S so stay safe and warm everyone!

Ready for the Next Phase

© 2013 R.L. Delight, A dramatic February day on the Coast

The picture above was taken earlier this month. Today was a beautiful sunny day here, but cold. The sunshine was warming in the early afternoon but most of the day was chilly.
I realized I missed a blogging day on Saturday. Since my mate and I take our weekends on Sunday and Monday and this weekend was a holiday weekend for many, I got a bit confused. Add to that moving our regular band rehearsal day to Sunday and, well, I lost track of which day was what.
I did work in the studio on Saturday getting things fixed, moved, cleaned, and ready for the next phase. I also attended life drawing on Sunday, which further confused things. I haven't been to life drawing for a month or so, unusual for me. Thankfully I did remember how to draw the human figure and we had an excellent model.
I spent today in the studio as well setting up the still life elements of a marine painting (more later) and making some new tools to take out in the field with me. I also got out to the beach this afternoon with my sketchbook. One of the perks of going so hard on plein air painting in January is that I discovered fairly quickly what is working for me and what isn't. I am making a wet panel carrier for myself and would eventually like to get a different plein air set up.

Here is what I plan for the upcoming weeks:

• Plein Air sessions: 2-3 times a week depending on weather and tide. 3- one hour wave studies per session.
•  Working on larger more formal paintings.
• Self-portrait studies
• Munsell color studies
• Sunday life drawing whenever possible. 

I want to keep building my skills in figurative and portraiture. My main focus of course, is the sea.
I did finish the Frederick Waugh book and found it very interesting. I will have a report on that soon.

We have a regular winter storm forecast for Friday. I will need to break off my Thursday afternoon to head north for supplies for our pantry and home.

I am always amazed to read about other women artists who do all this and rear kids too! I don't have the kids, just one fuzzy red dog and a husband and I stay plenty busy. I will have pictures of my home built panel carrier soon!

Twill on the Beach

A Golden Day

Twill on a golden winter afternoon

We had a lovely sunny, but cool, day on the coast today. I spent the day working on this blog and photographing all of my finished paintings outside in high resolution. I am pleased to say I can now offer prints of my paintings for sale!
Note: I originally had a badge from Imagekind here but it wasn't showing up on some devices so, I created a collage at picmonkey.com and included a link to my Imagekind page in the caption.

Click here to visit my Imagekind page to order prints!

I also have a link on the sidebar that will take you to the entire gallery for prints of my work. At the moment, I only have five up as they take a bit of time to upload but I will be putting all of the available 6"x8" paintings up to allow purchase of prints. Larger paintings will probably not be offered in print form. I will have to think about that. 
OK, so I removed the word verification from my comments section and was hit with three spam comments today. I also got an e-mail from a cousin saying that he was getting spam e-mails from one of the e-mail accounts that is linked to this blog. ARRRG! I will wait for a few more days but if it continues, I may have to put the word verification back up again. In the meantime, if you get an email from me and are not expecting one or it has funny things in the subject line and links, please do not open it and just delete it! I am going to take a look at a few other measures. 
After spending the day working on all of this stuff I will definitely need a day out to paint. 

Blog Face Lift

Twill loves everyone! Happy Valentine's Day to all.

I am finally getting around to refreshing my blog. I got a start on the changes as those of you who graciously visit can see. I have also removed the word verification on the comment form. I started blogging several years ago with my weaving blog, Renee Weaves! which is in mothballs at this time. I had a heck of a time with spam for a while so I added the word verification. I believe there are better controls now so I am taking it off. Comments will still be moderated. 
Today was a gray misty day, again. As meals around here have been rather sketchy for the past couple of months, I decided to make a feast, complete with dessert. I also spent much of the day attending to a few details in the studio. I will be heading out to paint again tomorrow and Saturday. The weather is supposed to be improving as well. 
So, short blog post but I will leave with the following question: Is there anything specific you all would like to see on this blog? For example, more on the painting/drawing process, creativity, work in progress, videos? Perhaps not so much of the personal journey? I am not saying that I will be doing any radical changes but I am curious as to what interests people. 

Wave Study #36

©2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #36

The past couple of days have been gray and cool. No wind and not much rain to speak although it is misty from time to time. I went out to paint this afternoon right before the high tide. It wasn't a very impressive high tide, just 6.8 ft or so and the waves were teeny. They almost look like summer waves. I considered, for a brief moment, just heading back to the studio to work but then remembered that there is still a lot I need to study. I set out to paint this study with the intent of getting the color of the sky and waves as close to what I see as possible.
Breaker waves under these lighting conditions of misty gray skies with a lot of diffused light have very soft warm gray shadows. Artist Don Demers calls this light benign light and I rather like that term as it seems very descriptive. This area also has a bit of surprising color in the green-gray waves on a day like today. The green in the turn of the wave takes on a bright, clear, green hue. It seems to jump out at you when you start to pay attention. Days like today make one appreciate the subtle beauty of the colors, which are actually quite breathtaking.
I kept the composition simple, which is a good thing to do in general but I wanted to concentrate on color and value. I came pretty close but not there yet. I need to tone down the white I use in the swells and the foam. There is actually a lot more value shifts than one realizes at first. I am beginning to see them, portraying them will take a bit more time.
I put it the wet and less wet sand areas at the very end of the painting session so not a whole lot of time went into those areas as I wanted to concentrate on sea and sky.
Small short studies such as these (3 hours or less) don't really allow time for the refinement and details that really make the painting look realistic. For now, that is OK as I have a lot to learn but as I get this down to my satisfaction, I do want to get some of the detail in too. I am finding that my memory for the sea is improving the more I study.
A final note, I am working on getting some of the seascapes I have painted rephotographed so that I can offer high quality prints through Imagekind for those who would like to purchase them. I will have a nice link up when that is ready.
We have nice weather heading our way. Good time to take those pictures and get some sunny seascapes painted.

Studio Day

I had originally planned to spend the morning cleaning, organizing, and creating in my studio then go out to paint in the afternoon. I got so invigorated happily getting my studio back in order that I decided to keep on going and spend the day. I also wanted to make a wet panel carrier and a small oil paint sketching box but didn't quite get to those projects. I will work at them this week.
I was offered a special deal at Vistaprint to have some bumper stickers printed and I couldn't resist ordering a few. They came today and I immediately cut one up to fit on my pochade box so that people passing by can see. I got the idea from another artist and thought it clever. Here is mine:

Bumper Sticker Art

They are bumper sticker size of course and all in one strip but it was too long for my little box so I cut it in two to fit.
As I worked my way through the studio getting things clean, organizing, culling stuff to give to the thrift store and putting stuff in the recycling box, I also did many of the little nagging repairs. I have said this before and I will say it again here, tools are a girl's best friend! Not the silly, cheap, whimpy so-called-tools they sometimes put out for women, but real women's tools. I am talking Black and Decker baby and I don't think they come in pink! I managed to locate the missing charger to this handy item:

Real tools are a girl's best friend!

I must add a note here, I have my own set of tools so I don't have to borrow my mate's. Sometimes he steals my tools although not very often. I did, however, lose my favorite red drill and a saw to him! For little items like box cutters and such, I do deliberately buy dolled up versions so they don't disappear on me:

Pretty little things that don't wander off!

Please don't misunderstand me, I love beauty but, when it comes to tools, I don't love beauty at the cost of function.

Now, don't get me started on outdoor gear for women! I could do a whole post ranting about that issue. I will note here too that the Boggs boots that my blogging friend Theresa recommended have worked out quite well so there is hope.
High tide is around 2:30 pm tomorrow so it will be a perfect time to go paint after lunch. I will continue to finish my work in the studio in the morning.
If all goes well, I should have another wave study to post tomorrow.

Wave Study #35

© 2013  R.L. Delight, Wave Study#35

I am stepping out in a slightly different direction with my wave studies. I will be methodically focusing on certain elements and the studies will be only about an hour in length. This gives me time to just study the waves and take notes. I am finding doing this very very helpful. Eventually it will all come together. The more I study the sooner that eventually will be.
This also means that some of these studies will not necessarily be pretty paintings. I knew that from the beginning. You have to make a lot of not-so-pretty paintings to begin to make the pretty ones.
Even thought this isn't exactly a glamorous part of making art, I am excited about it as it means that I am learning.
Today was a very gray day, unlike yesterday. Typical weather for around here.
Sunday and Monday are my weekend off so no posts until Tuesday! I do plan to take advantage of the tides and go study and observe tomorrow. The tides rule the schedule.

Growing Pains and Words of Wisdom

As you can see from the picture above it was a beautiful day. I was excited to get out and paint. The sun felt warm on my face and there was no wind to speak of. I was entranced by the cross waves, giant billowing waves that were nearly as large as the incoming waves. Alas, I have no painting to show. I had started painting and suddenly, it just wasn't going the way I wanted it to.
The problem, in my eyes, was that it was looking like all of my previous paintings. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, I am proud of my work, but I am trying to get to a certain quality and level of painting. There were a few other problems too but I have pinpointed them now.
Well, I was a bit discouraged. I packed up my stuff and then pulled out my binoculars and watched the waves in close detail for a while before heading home. I know what this point in my progress is. I have been here before and I recognize it. It doesn't make it any less discouraging though. To top it off, several odd things seem to come together to make it seem even harder.
When I got back home, walked Twill, and had a good lunch, I did some studying. I am ready to try a new level when I get back out to the beach to paint tomorrow. I might make a mess but I think it will be a good thing.
I am almost finished with the book on Frederick J. Waugh. The final chapter is called Waugh's Suggestions on Marine Painting. I thought I would share a couple tidbits before ending the post.

"No doubt", writes Waugh, "the sea is a difficult subject. To paint it convincingly means long, careful observation of its many phases and its anatomy, for the sea has anatomy."

Indeed it does both as a whole and as parts. I have noticed that even the waves have spines. That has been most helpful for me. I will get those pesky cross waves painted accurately yet!
 My favorite quote by far, which I have on the welcome page of my website (others have used this one too) is the following:

"To paint the sea, you must love it, and to love it, you must know the sea."

There is a lot of truth in those words. You need the love and the knowledge to keep painting it when it gets hard, as it often does. I have been told that it is extremely hard to make a living painting seascapes and that so many people want to be seascape painters and give up. Well, I love the sea, to the core. I have considered the ocean my "hometown" for decades now. That means I won't stop painting it, even if it means that I won't be rich and famous!

I won't stop.

Red Tide

The red tide that I have been seeing for the past couple of weeks out in the surf has exploded. When I went down to the beach to paint today the water looked putrid. Here is a picture:

Red tide on the Oregon coast

Here is another:

Red Tide

I didn't retouch anything in these pictures but I have to tell you, the real life view was even more dramatic. I haven't seen it this bad before. If you look carefully at my painting from yesterday, you can see a bit of the red tide in the middle swell and wave that I painted in.
Well, I did start to set my easel up but I just couldn't bring myself to paint the water. It just looked disgusting. On the other hand, I was there as the tide was coming in this morning and the cross waves were quite fantastic. I decided this would be a good time to get some of the wave structure down so I sat and stood as close to the water as I could without getting wet and sketched and drew diagrams for a couple of hours.
I did some technical sketching so it isn't much to look at and wouldn't make much sense to many people. I learned a few things. I learned enough to send me back to my computer to try and find wave models. I just wanted to verify something my eyes were seeing. I understand the way light and color changes as the planes change but water is so fluid and can be quite complex.

I must admit, I find all of this stuff incredibly fascinating. I spent the day indulging the science nerd in me. I also got some things done in the studio that I needed to do.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day out here on the Northern Oregon Coast unlike the East Coast. I will be out painting, red tide or no.
To my East Coast friends, please stay safe and warm. Hope you are stocked up and ready to just snuggle in. I will be watching for news.

Wave Study #34:Neahkahnie High Tide

©2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #34: Neahkahnie High Tide, 6"x8", oil on canvas

I have a special treat toward the end of this blog, if I can get it to work! But first, here is Wave Study #34 which I painted this morning. I am now officially a third of the way through my 100 wave study goal! As you can see, still working on those cross waves. They were out in force and spectacular this morning. I was practically dancing around with frustration at not quite having the skills to capture all of the variations fast enough. A camera is not the solution either, trust me on this. There are so many subtle nuances that the camera does not capture and I want to paint powerful and truthful waves.
The weather was a bit rough and squally. One minute sunshine on my easel, the next, hanging on to my umbrella with rain lashing across the canvas and palette. It wasn't too cold though and, whoosh, it was beautiful!
I have a strong suspicion that I will need to do another 100 wave studies or more after this set just to get everything down. I will have to compare next January with this one to see the difference.
So, here is my treat, I managed to get a little video of the morning waves with my phone cam. You can hear the sound of the waves and spot a few of those cross waves. Unfortunately I couldn't zoom in to get the actual size of the view. I got another video of a sneaker wave running up the beach but it is a bit more shaky than this. This is handheld but not too bad.

Hmm, that seemed easy. Let us hope it works!
So good to get out to paint again!

A Sketchy Day

One of the things I determined after evaluating my art working methods following the 30 in 30 challenge, was that I really need to take at least one day a week just to observe and sketch the ocean. The weather today was transitional and therefore it would be sunshine one minute, rain the next, and a constant wind. Not a great day to paint. The weekend is supposed to be nice though so looking forward to getting out to paint then. Sketching in such weather is a lot easier. Not as much gear, just a pack with sketchbook, pencils, and a few things to make oneself comfy such as a towel to sit on, plastic bags for any found treasures, binoculars, water, etc..
The tide was going out this afternoon when I hiked up the beach. I left from my front door on foot today as I felt like a good walk as well. When I got to my usual spot the waves were quite disappointing and fairly far out. The wave surges keep me at a distance. I picked a likely rock to sit on but had to move when one of the sneaker waves came in.
Here is what my office looked like:

Sketch site

As you can see, it was one of those flat gray moments in the day. This is not a black and white picture!

Here is what my sketchbook looked like:

Sketchy day. Elements of waves and rocks study. Water soluble graphite on paper.

I like to use water soluble graphite pencils and a Niji water brush pen. I use HB and 4B pencils. I am thinking of trying a bit of white gouache paint to get a better representation. This is not a composed drawing. It is just several elements put down on paper at random.
I have done this type of sketching of the sea before but, after reading the section in the book on Frederick Waugh, featured in yesterday's post, about his time living on the Isle of Sark, I really got inspired! He spent his time there studying the sea for all he was worth. He would spend hours doing sketches of each element, often putting himself in risky situations. Risky situations are a challenge even for me. It is so easy to lose track of awareness of time and then be caught off guard by the tides. There are areas that are dangerous to be when the tide is coming in. It is one of the reasons I set an alarm on my phone. One of the advantages of modern tech!
Needless to say, I have added the Isle of Sark to my "must see and visit" list. I am also thoroughly enjoying the book. I just have to resist the urge to call a day off and curl up and read all day.
I will think about putting a book report on one of my posts when I am finished with it.
Tomorrow depending on the weather, I will either be painting in the studio or on the beach. I am still trying to catch up in the studio getting it cleaned up and making fixes for some of my gear. I haven't had a chance to get back to my Webinarts classes today either. I can see there is still room for improvement in my organization skills. Well, it is time to get ready to turn in for the day. We shall see what the morrow shall bring...

Another Waugh Book!

I was thrilled to find that my interlibrary loan request for the book, Frederick J. Waugh, American Marine Painter, by George Havens, had arrived today. I had gone to the library because I hadn't heard so much as a peep that my request had been received let alone processed. This book is out of print and there isn't a lot of them floating around. The asking price online is a lot more than I can justify. I just want the information! The book was published in 1969. I was seven years old then.
Here is the book:

Almost all of it is text with some black and white plates in the back and some very beautiful color plates. The color plates look like they were lithographed rather than being like the color reproductions in the book I showed yesterday.
The plates are challenging to photograph without hurting the book but here are two beauties that I somewhat managed to get. Glare is a problem too:

Open Sea, by Frederick J. Waugh, 36"x48", 1930? *

Tropic Seas, by Frederick J. Waugh, 48"x72", 1934 *

I am posting in haste this afternoon as tomorrow is a work day and I am trying to get as much done as possible. Tonight is band rehearsal too.
I will be adding snippets of interesting quotes and tidbits as I read through the book to my blog posts. I cannot renew the book so I will be dropping all my reading and focusing on getting this one read and studied.
Back to painting tomorrow!

* - Plates from Frederick J. Waugh, American Marine Painter, George R. Havens, University of Maine Press, 1969.

Updated Website and eBay Score

I have been busy getting my art marketing organized and updated. My website has been spiffed up and it is a lot easier to buy the small paintings I have for sale. The blog is next! If you would like to take a look at my website click here or on the link on the blog.

In the precious few moments between during the challenge and working on my website, I also did a bit of art studies. I had mentioned Frederick Judd Waugh on a recent post and posted one of his beautiful seascapes. I have been digging deeper to find more information about this artist. I came across a mention of a Walter Foster book published in 1969. I went on a search and found a copy on eBay for $4.95! No buy now button so I patiently waited out the week and put a bid on it the last hour or so and now the book is mine. The book contains 60 full color reproductions of his work from the Ulrich collection, which I believe, has since been dismantled and sold here and there. Knowing that color printing processes in 1969 were no where near to what they are today, I didn't have tremendous expectations but, they aren't too bad. Not all of these paintings are online. I thought I would show some of the paintings I like now and then so here are a couple, starting with the front of the book.

Front cover of book

I don't intend to share all 60 of the paintings. They appear to be from the entire span of his career as some look like they were painted earlier in his career. I like his later paintings. They have stunning detail and color and they inspire me tremendously. Here are two paintings from the book that I liked.

Evening, by Frederick J. Waugh, 25"x30"

Great Sea to Headland, by Frederick J. Waugh, 31"x31"

You have to remember that these are photos of printed color reproductions from 1969. I know that much of the subtle color in these paintings are lost. One day I will have to go on a pilgrimage and visit every Frederick Waugh seascape available for viewing.
It would be nice if some current art historian could pull together a proper book on his works.
For some reason they decided to print the photos of these paintings showing their frames. It isn't an effect I like.
I was thrilled when this arrived in yesterday's mail. It will be a wonderful resource and source of inspiration.

I am hoping that tomorrow I will be starting in on revamping my blog. I want to make it so that a person can purchase a painting from here too if they find something they love.

Please do check out my website. I am adding a painting for sale every day this week. If you wish to leave any feedback, feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Wave Study #33: Arcadia Beach

@ 2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #33: Arcadia Beach, 6"x8", oil on canvas

The day was so beautiful today, sunny and warmish. I headed up the coast about 15 minutes to Arcadia Beach. It is the beach on the north side of the old roadbed carved in the rock at Hug Point. I also decided it is time to start learning to paint the rocks interacting with the waves. There are a lot of rocks around here. I spent a lot of my time painting the rocks in this painting so the waves are not as carefully done. I also concentrated on refining the color.
One of the interesting aspects of seeing all my paintings from the month of January together in the poster I posted yesterday was seeing the colors choices and style of painting I have developed so far. While I am pleased with my progress, I am not where I want to be yet in painting skill. I really would like my seascapes to look more realistic than they do. Color and value are the main technical areas I need to work on.
I think the values in this scene were much more dramatic, had more contrast, in real life. The colors of the rock are pretty close but not quite there. The ocean colors are very close but, as I sort of ran out of time, I didn't quite refine them as much as I would have liked to.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed painting this today! The tide was coming in and even though I was pretty far up the beach, I wasn't quite far enough. I had to grab my tripod easel and lift it high while a wave washed around my feet.
I use a timer on my phone to let me know when an hour has past and reset it for another hour until I am ready to leave. That way I don't have to keep pulling out my phone to check the time. Yeah I know, get a watch, but I don't like to wear bracelets, necklaces or rings (other than my wedding ring) very often. A watch is like a bracelet. Clip on watches I might consider but most of the time I have bulky layers and rain jackets on which would make it hard to read.The phone fits in a handy pocket and is easy to get to and I only have to pull it out to reset or turn the timer off.

My timer had just gone off and I happened to have my phone in hand when I saw the water massing up, getting ready to run up the beach in the form of a sneaker wave. I calmly took this picture and then grabbed the tripod as the water came rushing up.

Incoming tide water, time to run!

I finished up soon after taking this and headed for home.
Tomorrow and the next day are my weekend and I will not be painting (sketching yes, I always have a sketchbook handy). I have something fun and art related to share on the blog tomorrow and I will have something to share on Monday too before heading back to my studio or the beach.
I am nodding off already so I will sign off on this post and get to bed!
Oh, one last thing, the Tinker Toy fix on my umbrella worked just fine!