High Above
I completed this large watercolor last week for a dear client in Australia. It’s painted in loving memory for a friend who passed away and I’ve tried to express these Arctic Terns emerging out of a brooding mood into an ethereal sky. While painting, I often listened to two albums that became soundtracks for the atmosphere, space, and energy I was looking for. Zola Jesus’s Conatus and the soundtrack from Beasts of the Southern Wild. I love the final piece and wish I could share it with you full size! At 28″ x 36″, it’s one of the largest watercolors I have yet completed.
4 Responses to “High Above”
Bette Belanger
Hi, I just came back from holiday. I went to a fishing village in Turkey called Kas. It is where the Lycian empire used to be. There are many ruins and tombs to visit. What amazed me about it is how completely their culture disappeared. They committed suicide and then burned down their cities to avoid capture by the enemy. Still the ruins are there for us to admire.
Anyway, I brought the toolkit I bought from you and did 13 paintings. Would have done more but it kept raining on me. I was so happy with the toolkit that I really wanted to tell you about it. It made sketching and painting so easy and enjoyable. No fussing around. If I could I would love to quit my teaching job and spend the rest of my life traveling around painting.
Anyway, thank you!
Cheers
Bette
Sandra Andrews-Strasko
What an amazing painting. I love your work with arctic terns and I can’t wait to bring home another of your paintings to Germany this Summer.
Jonathan
Maria- can you explain how you paint these? Do you draw the birds on top of the watercolor wash of the clouds behind?
I am confused. do you draw and paint them and use tape around the birds?
I cant tell?
they are gorgeous!!!
Maria
Thank you, Jonathan! I paint the backgrounds first, then paint the birds with watercolor and white gouache. This post illustrates the little bird cut-outs that I use for composing.