Grey Skies and Crashing Waves

As a companion to the main show at the Christopher Queen Gallery this month, I finished these landscapes and exhibited them. They are of Shell Beach, which a small but fairly popular little beach on the Sonoma Coast. I went there one day in the winter to paint and shoot photos. I started these paintings months ago, and I decided to finish them for the show. I am happy to say that 2 of them sold quickly, and there was some good feedback on the other ones.

This painting was the crowd favorite. I think people were drawn to the subtle evening colors in the skies which beam down and reflect into the rocks. I feel like this one almost has a narrative you can imagine without having to explain it, which is always something cool to have in a painting without people.

"The Rocky Edge" 14x11 in. oil on linen board. Sold.

This painting was one that I thought would have sold, just because people love sunsets and the beach so much. There are some edges in the distant rocks that still bug me a bit even though I did my best to fix them before sending this one out. The impasto in the waves gives a good realism to the colors.

"Evening Veil" 11x14 in. oil on linen board.

This was one that I thought wouldn't have sold before the other ones. Even though I do like it, I didn't think it had the "pizzazz" of the other paintings. The impasto of the waves is way better looking in person, and there is a lot more warm/cool shifts in the painting than the photo would lead you to believe. There is a super subtle    rock in the very distant background that I'm really glad to have pulled off. You might not even see it on the first pass; I love the idea of having something to discover in a painting later on.

"Wintery Coast" 11x14 in. oil on linen board. Sold.

This one may be the hardest sell. Although this is my favorite in the depictions of the waves, it's probably the least prettiest in the tide. Also, people don't seem to get the way the drainage of the creek into the sea as much as I'd hoped. I tried to take it out, but it didn't work very well to take it out. I would make some major changes to this painting in terms of design if I had to do it over again. It's one of those paintings where you blind yourself to the basic flaws of it thinking you're going to plow through and rescue somehow.

"Fading Tide" 11x14 in. oil on linen board.

These two paintings I did en plein air to base the color of the paintings on. These are way different in color to the photos I took. Some things I like about the color of the photos actually, so it's slightly a blend of both the photos and the studies. Just a reinforcement of the importance of being able to interpret the reference you've gathered in order to create the best possible painting you are capable of.

BONUS: Photos of the paintings of the show at the Christopher Queen Gallery.

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