“Coasts of North America” Collection, Original Acrylic on Canvas, 12” x 12”

Art Musings

Feb 20

I started the “Coasts of North America” collection (a series of five 12” x 12” acrylic paintings depicting different coasts in North America) with trepidation since painting seascapes always makes me a bit nervous. I never know to strike the balance between loose and detailed when it comes to waves. It had originated as a collection that I hoped to enter into an art show. Besides the requirements that the paintings had to be on 12” x 12” canvasses and the theme had to be different coasts or seascapes from North America, I decided to keep things as simple as possible. I did not spend hours pouring over images or agonizing over the composition. Instead I had certain concepts in mind. First of all, I wanted this collection to be a mix of both daytime seascapes as well as a couple of dark or night scenes as well. I also wanted to add a different focal point or compositional element to each painting rather than just making it a simple seascape. Also I was very adamant about using a limited color palette for each painting and focusing on color theory and toning down colours with their complementary colors and mixing my own darks and lights rather than just using paint from the tube. Strangely enough, using a limited color palette (4-5 colors with titanium white) was not limiting at all. It was surprisingly liberating. After all, when we are not so overwhelmed with choice we tend to make do and be resourceful with what we already have. This also helped tremendously with my values. Finally, I wanted to keep my brushstrokes loose and dynamic which meant walking away even when the desire to add just one final detail became too much. I’m not going to lie, there were times when I succumbed to that desire, but for the most part, I kept my brushstrokes as gestural as I could and i allowed the paintings (mistakes and all) to be what they are rather than what I expect them to be. I don’t think I will ever look at any of my paintings and think “Perfect!” but this collection really made me proud because I started with some trepidation since painting seascapes can often end in a muddy mess of whites and blues and I ended up actually feeling much more confident in terms of shadows and lights and the shape of waves. I know I have a long way to go but as with every painting or every collection I treat the experience as a teachable moment, something I can take with me into my next painting experience. For now, whether these paintings are accepted into the art show or not I’m grateful for the experience of painting them.