Week 69

The color in this one thrilled me. It was mesmerizing. We divided the canvas in half with tape to get a clean, straight horizon line. I worked above on the brilliant sunset while Laert worked below on the unfurling water. The first strokes of the intense blue he placed on the foamy crest, made me “hungry”. Have you ever seen color and want to eat it? (Not really to eat it, but I don’t know how else to describe the feeling!) The two sections of the painting are very different, the sunset is meant to be more subdued and smooth, giving it it’s depth and majesty. By contrast, the water, full of texture comes close and demands your attention.

The sunsets on this beach were insanely beautiful. I have always thought there are no paintings that can rival our Creator’s evening artwork. But in trying to capture His beautiful work, I felt connected to the freedom and beauty of working with those intense colors and unconfined subjects.

I smiled to myself, thinking that I am starting to have a style when it comes to the sky and clouds, one I really like. When we took off the tape on the horizon, I was worried the styles were too apparently different. Usually we have a way of making it hard to see, even for ourselves, where one person stopped and the other started. In stepping back to appraise, I see and smile that our differences are what make this painting shine.

Anna Maria & the Sunset

24x30 | Oil on Hardwood Panel