Washington

This painting was an exercise in design, using a grid of thirds.  Placing the boats on or near the intersections of the grid is a tried and true compositional tool.  The verticals of the masts add more strength to the grid of thirds and the quiet water makes the details of the sailboats even stronger. 

Living on Cultus Bay on Whidbey Island gave me time to look at the endless variety of sky and clouds over the six years we lived there.  I made this painting using a brand-new synthetic brush, a departure from my typical hog’s hair brushes.  I also used a limited pallet of 4 colors: Cadmium Yellow,