Oceanside Summer

"Harbor Alley"
14 x22 Mixed Media on Paper
Click here to purchase or view large
This piece took a while, as it was a bit of an experiment but turned into quite an exercise.

We've had some great weather over the summer down at Oceanside Harbor, so I've been wanting to capture some of those bright days in my artwork.  I started with a palette knife painting using blue acrylic and gesso, laying in the values and basic composition before I broke out the chalk.

I ended up layering chalk over acrylic, then more paint over the chalk again to bring back some of those deep blues and bright whites.  The goal of the painting was not to show what the actual boats looked like, but the patterns of horizontal and vertical shapes highlighted by the bright sun and set against the darker water.

In the spirit of summer and great beach weather, I also did a pastel painting of my daughter as she looked last year:
"Little Chunky Thighs on the Beach"
9 x 12 Chalk pastel on paper
Original not for sale
Using chalk pastel on yellow-toned Canson Mi-Teintes paper, I thought I would pay tribute to my little girl's toddler shape since she's now outgrown the chubby legs stage.  She's looking forward to going with her soon to arrive baby brother down to the beach.

There are lots of nice beaches down here in San Diego County, but Oceanside is a favorite because we can walk around and see the boats and hit the ice cream shop before we head for home.

"Harbor Reflections"
Click here to view large or purchase
Stop by and visit my Nautical and Beach gallery!  Don't forget that shipping is free through summer!

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