Back to Morro

Back to Morro (dry pastel triptych on La Carte, 24 x 54)

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Cathump, cathump, cathump. There goes my heart again while I stand smack dab in the middle of the ocean's spray.

If you imagine standing on this shorline, then turning just to your left, you would see the scene from the painting below ("Return to Morro"). You can see them both, unobstructed, on my website. It is probably apparent by now that I am a bit obsessed with this place. I love the idea of a series because it is the perfect excuse to indulge such an obsession; just coming up long enough for air.

Return to Morro

I simply can't believe how fast time is zooming past. As I'm sure is true for most of you, there are tons of things going on in my little world and I do thank those of you who have continued to check in with me even though I'm not great at posting on a regular basis. Welcome, too, to my new readers.

Return to Morro (dry pastel, 16 x 47)

The only thing even remotely close to being there is this...painting this, standing in front of this, absorbing this. Every inch of this piece is filled with the excitement of the sea as I recalled standing on the shores along the coast of Morro Bay, California, with my heart pounding faster and faster as each wave struck the rocks in front of me.

The great news is I've been painting up a storm. Well, okay not really a storm, a sea. Lots and lots of water and some mighty BIG water, too! Last night was the opening reception for my shared show at the Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, Washington. I love that place and it was a delightful event. I always look forward to meeting new folks and talking endlessly about art (no, not just mine :).

For the piece above I prepared a piece of Russian Birch by first applying a coat of latex to both sides (to keep it from warping). Then I prepared a mix of gesso, marble dust and just a touch of water until I got the consistency I thought would work best. I also added some acrylics to tint the mixture - I chose a warm grey. At first, I brushed the mixture on the board but I didn't feel like that gave me enough "tooth" so, for the last coat, I used a small foam roller to get a bit more texture on the surface. It worked perfectly for this large piece and I really enjoyed having the ability to create the exact surface I needed for for what I envisioned.

Cheers all.