DAY 30 of 30 LAKE MORNING

LAKE MORNING (final) by Sea Dean 11x9 inches Watercolour and Graphite

 This was painted on competition paper that I don't usually use. It has a creamy look but not as cream as the images show. I’ve tried to lighten it, but when I do I lose the true colours of the painting which are beautiful. The graphite is also hard to photograph, but it shows quite well in this closeup. I really like the effect.

Final day of the challenge. Stay tuned for the collage of my submissions tomorrow.

 30DCG2020  and ODP

Day 4 of 30 - LAKE MORNING and Oscar Feedback?

Josephine has left home and my thoughts have been drawn to my next victim, sorry, project. Since acquiring this manikin over a year ago, he has been known as “Oscar”. I think he got the name because he has a hint of the movie award about him. He is big and beautiful, exuding a strong but peaceful aura. I often give him a hug (at 6 ft 2 inches and 33 inch waist he is the perfect size).

I have two ideas rocketing around my head...

1. Josephine sported many quotes from famous artists, so to add Oscar as part of the series I could cover him in the top 100 movie titles, famous actors and movie quotes such as “I’ll be back” TERMINATOR, Arnold Schwarzenegger - “Raindrops on Roses” THE SOUND OF MUSIC Julie Andrews or “Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn” GONE WITH THE WIND Clark Gable. Another option is to stick with Oscar winning movies and stars.

2. Alternately, his white base paint is just crying out to be covered in traditional Maori tattoos with no text except my signature.

As my main market is south, I think #1 would be more attractive to buyers and I like that it continues the series, but is all over text too much? (Josephine had text and abstract painting). Another question is that if I go with #1, should I paint his skin gold, which is tricky and currently not super trendy? I love the look of black or grey writing on white, but should I write in gold??? It’s a quandary, but if it’s #1 I should market him during Oscar season which starts soon, so he needs to get underway now! Also I cant leave him in his briefs for ever, or can I?

HELP! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please comment below.

DAY 4 - LAKE MORNING Work in Progress
Note that I photographed the color version to show the silvery additions of graphite pencil, in the birds, water and distant landscape. The pencil line is blackish, but glistens silvery in raked light. I’ve never done this before, but I love the effect.

LAKE MORNING (watercolour and graphite) by Sea Dean

LAKE MORNING (noir print) 

LAKE MORNING (in incandescent light)

 30DG2020 - ODP

GOLDEN LIGHT - DAY 30 - 30 in 30

Another of my dawn images. A gloomy day, but for a split second the sun came through the low clouds and illuminated these Canada Geese on their morning parade. It was chilly out and although I wrapped myself in a throw I caught a chill. Luckily its only a light cold, but I must be more wary.

And thats a wrap! The 30 Day Creative Gathering is over till next time. There’s talk of possibly February 2020 for a second meet. Its a great way to get organized and focused on creation. It helps to have a plan, which this time I didn’t but as photography was allowed and I take at least 50 a day, it made it easier for me.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to follow the link to my blog and even better, those that chose to follow me. Thanks also to all the wonderful comments I’ve received over on the Facebook Group. I look forward to next time.

Tomorrow I will show all the work I created this month, so stay tuned.

DAWN RAINBOW - DAY 23 - 30 in 30

There are two magic hours for artists and photographers. Most people find it relatively easy to view sunset, but the other special hour is at dawn. Every morning I get up around sunrise to enjoy the dawn light and wildlife. It’s a whole different world out on the lake around dawn. Ducks and Geese enjoy breakfast, bobbing under the water to feed, before flying off for their day in the fields, Seagulls and Crows scavenge the beaches and the odd Eagle or Osprey catches an unlucky fish. It’s mesmerizing.

So was it luck that I captured this dawn rainbow with geese, or was it dedication?

POT OF GOLD and RAIN - Day 13 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I couldn’t choose, so here is a selection of my recent digital images. Some are enhanced, but mostly just cropped for composition.

POT OF GOLD by Sea Dean

RAIN by Sea Dean

SOLITUDE - Day 12 - 30 in 30 Challenge

This is a digital image to which I have added some color and a bird for interest. It displays the simplicity that I’m always trying to capture in my art. This is also one that will make its way into my Artfinder gallery soon. www.artfinder.com/sea-dean

Before the Wind

One of the joys of living by the lake is watching the yacht club outings. During the week there is the odd sailing boat out on the lake with many kayaks, canoes, SUPs, inflatables and noisy power boats; however, on the weekend many groups of small sailing craft practice right in front of my window. Recently we had a treat with the annual regatta which kept me occupied enjoying the view.

Sailing instruction has changed since my day. Each class is escorted out by a minimum of one instructor power boat. They are then put through their exercises all in a row, gybing and tacking in unison. It’s quite a sight to watch and very relaxing. I could watch them for hours.

My favorites are a small group of red sailed craft which make a change to the regular white. On the rare occasion a colorful spinnaker breaks the water, but I suspect its an instructor showing off ;-)

Feel free to use my images for inspiration. No use of actual digital image for collage etc.

Monet must have felt the same joy I do. Below my painting taken from a Monet.

On The Vine and Happy Little Cloud

Suddenly it has warmed up and I’ve been able to start enjoying the beach with my Mum. Last weekend everybody and their dog (literally) was out enjoying the sudden heat wave. By all accounts, now it’s finally here, its going to be a long hot summer. I even decided it was time to pull out my kayak and get it ready for a bit of paddling. Yay!

I usually get up around dawn and I’ve been enjoying some lovely sunrises. Recently I was blessed with the sight of this happy little cloud which glowed bright orange before the sun rose high enough to light up the mountains across the lake. No kidding, this is not photoshopped.

Long time blog readers may remember ON THE VINE from a few years ago, a fresh 20” x 16” painting which is still available in the original, as well as 17” x 11” quality prints. Artfinder is trialing a Beta run of limited editions and I’m hoping they choose this for their collection. Even if they don’t, the original is currently available HERE and the prints are available by contacting me. I think It looks surprisingly good alongside the abstracts I’ve released, since my 2019 solo exhibition has closed.

Serene and Wild

What strange weather we’ve been having! In some ways it’s inspiring, but the wind is biting cold even though yesterday I was sitting on the beach in the sunshine. Tonight here at the lake it’s loud! Those lake waves are wielding their power, pounding in quick, noisy succession on the sand. Yesterday a long term resident told me that this beach is at the windiest on the lake, which I can believe when I step onto the balcony to take a photo and almost get blown over. Mum doesn’t like wind so she has retreated to bed and I’m wrapped up in my warmest cashmere sweater plotting a dynamic giant painting.

Here are some examples of the good and bad that nature has given us.

Lake Rondo

Lake Rondo 12” Round Canvas Panel - $125 USD

This was going to be an abstract, but adding the tree brought it back into the realm of landscape. The foreground and the tree have a lot of thick paint texture which serves to bring it forward to the feet of the viewer. The painting comes with a cord on the back to hang it. It is painted on 12” round canvas board and can be mounted or framed if you wish.

Quiet to quieter

I know I’ve been quiet on my blog lately, but family matters have overshadowed my work. After an extremely intense couple of weeks, I have rented a summer home for Mum and exchanged my forest and stream for a full on spectacular lake view. I’m hoping that this beautiful location will be a healing place for Mum and I as spring turns to summer and the lake warms up. I know that water has always been a great healer for both of us in the past. 

I anticipate many amazing images over the summer and intend to dig out my higher definition digital camera and a small collection of oil paints to capture the beauty of this spot. 

Blue Lake

My favorite part in this iPad drawing is the lake. I’ve found a way to create a wash without lines by keeping a certain pressure while moving across the page. It all gets wrecked if I change pressure or go off the side, so there is a lot of to and fro as I back erase and start again. The effect is worth it though.

On this drawing I did a light grey wash all over before adding the rest, scary because any wrong line is hard to correct. It takes supreme concentration.

Serenity

This iPad drawing is one of a series of new art cards I’m working on. The colours give this view a peaceful effect, all in the same section of the colour wheel.

Over the Lake

Over the Lake

For those unfamiliar with my digital work, my drawings are created in the simple notes app on my iPad. The app is very basic wih only three types of line, a rule and an eraser, so I’ve had to come up with new ideas to make it useable. I’m constantly working on ideas and currently I’m fascinated by the ability to layer colour with the highlighter tool. With my knowledge of pigment from painting, I can build some interesting colours.

This one finger drawing is available as small prints and an art card.

If at first ..... Summer Breeze

SUMMER BREEZE 24” x 36” 

For a professional artist, one of the pressing questions is always what to do with paintings that have been shown extensively and not sold. Non-artists tend to assume that paintings sell soon after creation, but fellow artists will concur that is not the case. I just sold a painting from 2014, and that’s not uncommon. Depending on the size and depth of your work, storage can be a massive headache, especially if you have over 10 years excess.

Artists deal with the situation in many ways. I heard a story that Claude Monet once used a painting to patch his canoe. Other artists have used them to mend leaky roofs or burned them for warmth in the winter. Some artists have radical sales, gesso over and repaint, give to charity shops, or just have a cathartic rip and tear session. I tend to accumulate and occasionally tweak as my skills develop (hence the need for a store room).

Regular visitors to my blog may recognise this painting because it has been tweaked many times. I have loved each stage of this work, but the public has passed by. I believe it has good bones and just hasn't suited anyone’s decor and pocket book. The great thing about acrylic paint is there is no concern about cracking and no limit to the depth of paint, as there is with oil. Therefore, paintings like SUMMER BREEZE tend to accumulate a thick layer of paint, medium and gel, giving a fashionable and intriguing surface texture.

I suspect that this is exactly how Monets early works gained such depth of surface; how interesting it would be to x-ray through the layers to see the progression of composition and color before those paintings sold for millions. Below are a couple of previous versions of SUMMER BREEZE so you can see my thought progression.

SUMMER BREEZE can be viewed from 19 August at Lake Country Coffee House, Bottom Wood Lake Road, Lake Country, BC.

Solo Exhibition of Sea Dean new works
Lake Country Coffee House
during business hours
19 August - 17 September 2018
(including during Art Walk)

Jewel Tree

I needed to step back for a while to decide whether to do more to this iPad drawing. I liked it just the way it is, but thought it may be a bit sparse once mounted. However, I think the tree has enough variation and uniqueness to carry the white space. We really do have a lot of very tall narrow trees around here, especially higher up in the hills. I felt the same way about my most popolar iPad drawing, BIRCHES when I had completed it. 

Surprisingly it was the lines of current on the lake which took the most amount of time: I drew the lines and changed the color of the pencil many times before I was happy with the result. The more I look at this the more I realise that any addition would ruin it. Possibly when I add paint I will only darken the body of the lake slightly.

I can’t wait to see this printed, mounted and embellished.

Lake Shimmer

LAKE SHIMMER iPad Drawing

In this composition I wanted to play with white space. I can always add more detail once its printed and mounted. I just had a thought that as these are sold as Mixed Media anyway, I can always add some collage to them ... that would add interest. Possibly over the top though. What would you add?

Lavender Lake

LAVENDER LAKE iPad Drawing

This is an iPad version of an acrylic painting I sold at the airport last year. Although the colors are brighter with the digital program I use, the limited selection was challenging. Althouh not very obvious here, that simple white squiggle tied the composition together without destroying the simplicity.

Lavender grows very well in our dry climate and needs little care, so many water conscious gardeners are including it in their landscaping. Also, we do have at least one commercial lavender farm with tours, a shop and interesting events.

Peach Sundown

PEACH SUNDOWN iPad Drawing

PEACH SUNDOWN II iPad Drawing

SUNSET LAKE iPad Drawing

I’ve been working on some new iPad drawings for the summer, that is if summer ever gets here! Although it warms up a bit during the day, the temperatures have been mild and rain has been hanging around in the clouds. I thought a bit of brightness was in order.

The original, SUNSET LAKE, was a simple sunny view, but I thought it needed something. First I added a peach tree, PEACH SUNDOWN, but then I remembered a trick to add depth and in PEACH SUNDOWN II I added more branches so that the tree crossed the sun. Not sure which version I like best. What do you think?

I will be mounting the print on a prepared birch cradle, adding a little acrylic embellishment and topping with a brushstroke finish. Later in the year I will also make cards using thes iPad drawings.

Newsy catch up

Well that was quite a month!

I completed the Opus Daily Practice during the month of February and posted them all on instagram. I learned a bit more about the power of instagram and gained many new followers. Thank you for your clicks.

I also completed the 11th bi-annual Leslie Saeta 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Some nights I was painting right up to midnight, but managd to do all 30.

Week 1 Opus Daily Practice and Leslie Saeta 30 paintings in 30 days

I entered two paintings in into the Intergenerational Exhibition “Who Are We” and they were accepted. Now on exhibit at Lake Country Art Gallery for the month of March. This is one of LCAGs most eclectic exhibitions, spanning and encouraging collaborations between many different age groups. My paintings are UNISUN with first nation collaboration and MEADOW LAKE, a Bob Ross collaboration from the February series.

On a more personal front my new condo with larger art studio is continuing to take shape. As with all renovations, there is a new challenge each day, but I’m making my way past all the obstacles. After several attempts to find just the right chandelier (too traditional, too modern, too small, too big) and yesterday, beautifully perfect! I now have the just right light over my all purpose dining, craft, sewing and private lesson table.

View from new condo

The old condo is emptying out as I move stuff over to the new one and its getting its final tweaks for selling in two weeks. Sleep has been hard to achieve this month, but I hope to play a bit of catch up this weekend.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my work last month and for your loyal followship.

Sea