DRAW THE LINE - DAY 24 - 30 in 30

This time a twilight shot. I’m always torn between keeping images natural, by gently erasing such things as cell towers, power lines and jet trails, or allowing them to intrude on the scene. After all they are part of our modern world and they could become a trendy part of the composition if allowed to be part of the scene rather than an intrusion.

What do you think?

DIY Air Cooler

In our area we went from a very cool and windy spring around 10 centigrade, to 30 centigrade in one day. Tonight its cooler and blustery, but on that hot day I thought I’d better take the central air con in our summer home for a test drive. Phew! It worked and cooled down the place in 10 minutes.

However, I haven’t always been that lucky and it pays to know a trick or two in case of breakdowns. Last year I saw this tip on Pinterest
DIY AIR COOLER

I’ve been mainly cooling in the past few years with what we up here call swamp coolers, but their generic name is air cooler. I love them because we live in a desert climate and so it’s very dry; air coolers work by evaporation and therefore put humidity into the air. Bonus! Air conditioning is very bad for complexions, but air coolers make you look younger. Not only that, they are cheap to run and you leave doors and windows open so you’re not sealed up in recirculated unhealthy air. And if you use acrylics, you’ll love that they don’t dry as fast in an air cooled environment as they do with air conditioning.

Give it a try. You’ll love it.

Still plotting some natural abstract paintings, although I have to admit that I’m mesmerised by the real natural abstracts presented here by the moment.

Red Sails

RED SAILS by Sea Dean $125

A slight rework of a seascape for my solo. Originally the sunset was a bit too bright, taking the eye away from the magical red sail. Red sails are traditional for the fishing fleet in Cornwall, England and thoughts of Cornwall inspired this piece. I always think sails should be brightly coloured as white sails could be mistaken for waves. Theres no fear of a red sail being missed in a search or collision.

In the exhibition I hung RED SAILS with SUNSET OVER GEORGIA STRAIT below.

SUNSET OVER GEORGIA STRAIT by Sea Dean $125

Available at my solo exhibition - 150 Years of Abstract - or by contacting me

On show at Lake Country Coffee House until May 18th
The Coffee House has new owners and extended hours, so head out on the rail trail and take a detour to this great venue for a latte and lunch.

Bottom Wood Lake Road, Lake Country, BC, Canada
behind Lake Country Art Gallery, which currently has a wonderful pet portrait exhibition

Why were sails traditionally red? Actually it was a red/brown color caused by the tar preservative used to prevent mould and mildew and make the cotton canvas sails last longer. Some owners stick with tradition, even though modern canvas is treated with colorless chemicals.

Lugger
The lugger was the workhorse of Cornish fishing fleet for over 200 years. Two distinct variants emerged; their design based upon whether they were to be used for fishing in the harsh waters of the Atlantic or calmer coastal regions.

This song dates from 1935, but the Cornish fleet pre-dates it by some distance

Red sails in the sunset
Way out on the sea
Oh, carry my loved one 
Home safely to me

She sailed at the dawning 
All day I've been blue
Red sails in the sunset 
I'm trusting in you

Swift wings you must borrow
Make straight for the shore
We marry tomorrow
And she goes sailing no more

Red sails in the sunset 
Way out on the sea
Oh, carry my loved one 
Home safely to me

Red sails in the sunset
Way out on the sea (ooh-wee-ooh, wee-ooh)
Oh, carry my loved one
Home safely to me

Songwriters: Wilhelm Grosz / Jimmy Kennedy

Read Sails in the Sunset lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Shapiro Bernstein & Co. Inc.

Island Light

This reflects the moody quality of the weather and the stormy light in the clouds. Usually the sunsets are spectacular here, but this night there was only a brief flash of peach after sun set behind the clouds. A few straggling tourists turned out, along with long term ex-pat residents who come well  prepared with beach chairs and cocktails.

Evening Glow

Another cloud study that I added a familiar landscape to. I rather like the texture in the lower half which was created by adding layer over layer of watercolor paint to wet paper.

Beach at Sunset

This is a “Plein Air” painting of a black lava beach at sunset. The sun sets rapidly here and I was virtually painting in the dark by the time I finished. I tried to capture the color of the clouds and the light on the wet sand and I think it worked well.

Gleaming Sunset

GLEAMING SUNSET
8” x 10” Slim Canvas
Acrylic

This brilliantly colored painting includes lavish helpings of interference paint in orange/yellow, red/violet, green/gold, and blue/green. It literally shimmers and sparkles in the light. Neutral grey edge and ready to hang.
‎
Sea

Sunset Swim - One Finger Drawing by Sea Dean - 30/30

SUNSET SWIM
One Finger Drawings by Sea Dean
6" x 8" Canvas Print ready to mount
$59 + shipping

Two versions of this one.

My Editions are available in a variety of sizes and surfaces
Contact Here

I'm one of the artists taking part in the Leslie Saeta 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. This is the ninth time Leslie has held this event and I've taken part in each one. This is # thirty of the thirty iPad drawings I plan to complete by September 30th.

I'm pleased to be part of the challenge once again and look forward to adding 30 new drawings to my Limited Edition Collection.

See all the Challenge Artists Work here

I'm at #6

Evening Light - One Finger Drawing - 22/30

EVENING LIGHT
iPad drawing by Sea Dean
6" x 8" Canvas Print ready to mount
$59 + shipping

My Limited Editions are available in a variety of sizes  and surfaces up to 8" x 10"
Contact Here

I'm one of the artists taking part in the Leslie Saeta 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. This is the ninth time Leslie has held this event and I've taken part in each one. This is # twenty two of the thirty iPad drawings I plan to complete by September 30th.

I'm pleased to be part of the challenge once again and look forward to adding 30 new drawings to my Limited Edition Collection.

See all the Challenge Artists Work here

I'm at #7

IPAD DRAWINGS - Ocean Series - Evening Waves

EVENING WAVES
By Sea Dean
iPad Drawing

Now available as an Art Card
5" x 6.5" Art Card and envelope with 6" x 4" gloss or low sheen photo 
$5 each + shipping - $24 per 6 same design. $30 per 10 same design. 
Combined shipping available for multiples.

Poinsettia makes a wonderful holiday card. I've cropped it to 4" x 6" which gives it a modern slant and mounted the glossy print into a 5" x 6.5" card and my retailers are giving great feedback about the look.

IPAD DRAWINGS - Ocean Series - Luminous Sundown

LUMINOUS SUNDOWN
By Sea Dean
iPad Drawing
5" x 6.5" Art Card and envelope with 6" x 4" gloss or low sheen photo $5 + shipping
Combined shipping available for multiples. See previous blogs for more choices.

This iPad drawing was inspired by an image on "paint my photo" submitted by Rose Herczeg. 

There is such a variety of sunsets. I love to see how different they are at differerent times of year and how similar they can be in differerent parts of the world. I found this one particularly inspiring because of the brilliant colour and the stark contrast of the pale blue sky.

Now available as an Art Card
5" x 6.5" Art Card and envelope with 6" x 4" gloss or low sheen photo 
$5 each + shipping - $24 per 6 same design. $30 per 10 same design. 
Combined shipping available for multiples.

Poinsettia makes a wonderful holiday card. I've cropped it to 4" x 6" which gives it a modern slant and my retailers are giving great feedback about the glossy look.

IPAD DRAWINGS - Ocean Series - The Sun Sets

THE SUN SETS
Sea Dean
iPad Drawing
5" x 6.5" Art Card and envelope with 6" x 4" gloss or low sheen photo $5 + shipping
Combined shipping available for multiples.


This iPad drawing was inspired by an image on "paint my photo" submitted by Fontaine Moore. The basic program I'm using forces the user to get creative, which is how I've come to develop a swirly and wavy line style to make up for only having one wide and two narrow tools. The squared end of the wide tool also brings another dimension to each drawing.

BLACK MOUNTAIN GLOW - DAY 8

BLACK MOUNTAIN GLOW
by Sea Dean
8" x 10" Birch Cradle
Acrylic
On Exhibit at Skyway Kelowna Airport

I see the tip of this mountain from my windows, but walk half a block to the amazing local park and I see it in all it's glory. I particularly like taking that walk around sunset. The top of the mountain is covered in trees, but the lower portion was grazed out a hundred years ago by cattlemen provisioning the gold rush. These grasslands are yellow ocher, but at sunset they glow with orange, pink and red.

This mountain is locally called Black Mountain, but on the maps you will see it called Black Knight Mountain. This is thought to be the fanciful creation of a map maker whose name is lost in history, perhaps trying to make the mountain sound more romantic. We also have a Sleeping Beauty moniker for a local range, so perhaps he had been reading too many romantic tales.

When you drive into the Okanagan Valley from Vancouver this mountain dominates the view as you cross Okanagan Lake via the Bennet Bridge. It is a well known landmark.

Post 118 Leslie Saeta challenge

THE SETTING SUN - Challenge prep

THE SETTING SUN
by Sea Dean
8" x 10" Birch Cradle
Acrylic
On Exhibit at Skyway Kelowna Airport

This painting is taken from one of our spectacular sunsets. It isn't possible to capture the stunning color and light or our recent sunset, but this is my attempt.

The painting will likely sell in its time at the airport, but if you love it I can paint a similar one in a size to suit your space. Contact me through this blog.

Posted as #18 on Leslie Saetas Blog

SUNDOWN

SUNDOWN
by Sea Dean
10" x 12" Deep Wrap Canvas
Available at Artfinder

I love the sunsets of summer and this is no exception. There are layers of purple, violet, red, maroon, hot pink and yellow with tiny glints of reflected light in the water. It was inspired by a photo I took at 30,000 feet over Georgia Strait in British Columbia.

FLAT SQUIRRELS

SUNSET
by Sea Dean
6" x 8" 140lb Strathmore

"Be decisive. Right or wrong, make a decision. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels that couldn't make a decision." unknown

I saw this quote and it struck home. I checked with Google and it comes in many different wordings, but with the same sentiment. I like it because it's shocking and sticks in the mind. I've had challenges with procrastination in the past, which, when you pick it apart is all due to indecision.

For the last couple of years I've been cramped by indecision over my web presence. Daily Paintworks is a great place for artists that want to paint small, stick to certain subject matter and sell at low prices, but I don't think any of that suits me. I have a hankering to paint large, with lashings of texture, sculptured effects and extravagant amounts of paint which doesn't come cheap. I crave the freedom to experiment and exhibit for patrons that purchase edgy work. There are pockets in the USA and Canada for the Avant Garde, but the real mother-load is Europe.



So my indecision about my internet presence has shaken loose and over the coming months I will move some past work and all my new work to Artfinder. Artfinder juries in their artists and charges commission on sales rather than a monthly fee; I never mind paying galleries and platforms on the basis of sales, it means they are doing their work. For the limited amount of work I have on Artfinder, I've done well and it makes sense to focus there. The works I move over will be re-imaged and priced in Pounds Sterling or Euro depending on whether the UK leaves the EEC.

So what does this mean to my blog? There won't be many changes here, I will still post new paintings, talk about my latest shows and exhibitions, offer tips for artists and explore art history in my "Famous artist' birthday" series. The only change is that bigger and more experimental paintings take longer to paint, so I may post less often.

The re-imaging is also going to take a huge amount of time over the next few months. Once done, I will have wonderful images to use for prints and art cards to market on another platform, as yet in the decision stage.

BIKING AROUND BRITAIN SLIDE TOUR - Sunset at Mepal

SUNSET AT MEPAL
by Sea Dean
8" x 10" Commission
NFS

My good cyber friend Bob Jones has scored again by sending me a wonderful travelog of his cycling trip around the mainland of England, Scotland and Wales in 2011.

https://bobjones.smugmug.com/Round-Britain-cycling-2011/

Bob is no young man and this trip was his retirement celebration, so I have to really hand it to him for his determination. He cycled through wind, rain, freezing cold, heat, and bike repairs, (and the occasional stop at a pub) but he made it home. I've never met Bob, but I get the feeling we'd get along because we both have a crazy streak.

The painting above is from an image Bob took on another more local trip near his home in England. I sent it to him as a thank you for helping me with images for my still unfinished book on my home village. Must get back to that!

If you have a favorite image you would like me to paint, I love taking requests. My prices are surprisingly low. My landscapes are gaining recognition and are even on display at the local airport Skyway shop, which is notoriously difficult to achieve. My commissioned pet portraits are also very popular.

My small works can be seen and purchased at Daily Paintworks

Thank you for visiting my blog.

OKANAGAN SUNSET by Sea Dean - LAKE COUNTRY ART GALLERY GETS AWARD

OKANAGAN SUNSET
8" x 10" Cradle Board
Reserved for Skyway Kelowna Airport

This painting has been submitted to Skyway and I'm sure they'll love it and it will sell very quickly. However, I do have other paintings in the series available. I can also paint one especially for you in a size that suits your space.

Congratulations Petrina McNeill, the board and committee members, the volunteers and our visitors. Every one of you makes a difference at LCAG and in making the world a more beautiful place.

PATHWAY TO HEAVEN by Sea Dean

PATHWAY TO HEAVEN
4" x 4" Canvas Panel



A spot of color for a dark corner. That should brighten up your day and bring on spring. Don't know why spring things are pastel. Why not burst out of winter with a bang!

RED MOUNTAIN

RED MOUNTAIN
8" x 6" Strathmore Windpower
Can be matted and framed as shown
(extra for frame and shipping)



The plane from Kelowna to Vancouver flies over the coastal range in all it's splendor. Depending on the time of day you can see the mountains spread out below you like white icing sugar or if you're lucky, catch them at sunrise or sunset.