Wave Study #68

© 2013 R.L. Delight, Wave Study #68, 6"x8", oil on canvas

This was a challenging one in several ways. We had a nice little fall storm pass through here yesterday. Today was fairly calm. On the beach there was a light breeze but there would be sudden long sustained gusts that seemed to come out of nowhere and then suddenly cut off. One such gust blew my easel over when it came up at the very moment I turned to toss my little notebook back in my pack. Fortunately nothing was broken, the paint didn't get sandy, and my terps can was still sealed shut as I hadn't started painting yet. My four brushes got strewn all over the beach but a quick wipe cleaned them off.

The other challenging part was more internal. Resistance reared its ugly head as I started out. There was that little voice at the beginning, "what a boring composition", "you have done this before", "that color is ghastly", "why are you out here? It is cold!", and so on. Each time I felt my hand starting to put the brush down I grimly pushed on. I would love to say I eventually got into the painting groove. I sort of did but it was a struggle all the way.
That is OK. I recognize what is going on. Almost buried in all the resistance chatter was another little voice that said I need to regroup a bit and study my books and DVD's to push on through to the next level.

That is what I plan to do in between painting for the workshop fundraiser and going out to do the occasional wave study. It won't take long to do a bit of studying. I don't want to stop with the wave studies though because it can be painful to start again after a period of time off as I well know.

What really kept me painting today was the wonderful light. Some of the waves were in cloud shadow and some in light. The sun approaching the Winter Solstice next month is fairly low in the sky. This makes the light golden and not very strong. I am also having fun getting more color into the paintings and I am letting myself experiment more. So much to learn still!
Here is a parting shot of my office today. As I left that squall over the ocean hit and I got a good dose of sandblasting as I made my way back to my car. Only got a few drops of rain on me.

A dramatic office today.