053016 12x12 Memorial Day Pool Time!

I headed to the Brown County State Park to paint as part of the Arts in the Park project grant I received.  While I had intended to paint in the forest, I was immediately drawn to the luscious turquoise blue of the pool at the North Entrance of the park.  I also was excited to paint the activity and movement of the people in the pool area enjoying one of the first days of summer.  I used to do a lot of figure painting including quick gestural sketches so I really wanted to try my hand at it again. 

First, I scouted out various vantages around the pool area.  Since the day was quite hot and sunny, I found a spot in the shade to set up in.

Instead of starting with the darkest hues as I normally do, I blocked in the brilliant turquoise of the pool mixed with cerulean blue and white and, to a lesser degree, ultramarine blue and white.  I wanted to capture that crystal clear blue, unmuddied by any other colors or pigments.

I quickly captured a pair of young ladies sitting on the edge of the pool before they got up and left.  The lifeguard was fairly stationary but they changed out about every 10 minutes and the new one would assume a whole new posture.  Throughout the pool area, the people were constantly on the move.  So I would dab in an arm, a leg, a slouch, a dance, a stride that captured the frenetic movement.

This family was heading to their car after an afternoon at the pool and stopped to admire the finished painting.

And here is the final painting.  I took it to a show just three days later, still wet, and the first person that saw it bought it. 

"Memorial Day at the Pool, May 30, 2016", plein air, oil, 12" x 12", by Charlene Marsh.  SOLD

Thanks for following along!

Happy Trails!

Charlene

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