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| April 5, 1997: oil on canvas; 16" x 20" |
Princeton-by-the-Sea is a small community just north of Half Moon Bay.Ê This painting was done on the same day as the Rainy Day in Half Moon Bay painting.Ê The difference is, this painting was done in the morning, before the rain got started. Ê By restricting my subject to a small area, I could work more slowly.Ê I liked the way the two boats played against each other.Ê I also liked the way the bright, red-and-white motor caught my attention, so I tried to make it the central part of this painting.
Because I wanted to get this painting on the canvas before the light conditions changed, I had to work quickly.Ê So I focused first on the bright-and-dim areas. Ê I painted the stone breakwater in the background first, using very thin, burnt umber, using the paint like pencil lead.Ê Then, I added the water, mainly focusing on the area by the breakwater.Ê Thirdly, I added the post, wharf, ramp, and boats. Ê Then, I spent time on getting the detail around the boats, wharf, and ramp.Ê I omitted the handrails on the back side of the ramp--they were a little shadowy.Ê Once the imporant busy section was completed, I worked on the foreground water, painting in the reflections of the post, ramp, and the two boats slightly darker than the actual objects themselves.Ê I added the water ripples by sweeping across the paint with a sable brush.Ê This helped break up the reflected items, and make it look very watery. Ê I added the nearby shore and grasses last since they were nearby, and less important.
Last updated on Friday, December 21, 2001