050417 S 18x24 Rosy Sunset With Boats vs1

 

I have a collector who wanted a boat scene with a rosy sunset.  He liked the earlier boat scenes I had done but preferred a rosy sky over a cloudy gray sky.

Here's one version of the boats with a gray sky:

And here's another version with some hint of rose on the clouds and water but still, overall, a gray, cloudy day. 

 

I pulled prints of some past snow scenes which may seem odd for a boat scene.  But I knew the rosy sky in the forest snow scenes would be perfect for the boats.  I had three past paintings that would serve for reference.

I knew I could gradate the sky from rose to cerulean that would work well in the sky and reflected on the water.  These two (top and below) were done "en plein air" on location in the forest.

This one(below) is a studio painting based on one of the plein air pieces.  I love all the color in this painting including the sky.

I made a detailed drawing of the boat scene on a pre-tinted panel.

I also set up a bulletin board with the snow sunset scenes and the past boat scenes that I would use for inspiration and reference. 

 

I started by painting in the dark values first, mixing a black with Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium.

 

I mix up a dark red using more Cadmium Red Medium in the Ultra Blue and apply that to the bottom of the boats and in the water.

 

I added a small amount of Cadmium Yellow Light to the mix for some the colors I used in the water and nets.

 

I mixed up the white on the boats using Titanium White and a touch of Cerulean blue.  Okay, I'll admit, the photos were terrible here and really fuzzy.  When I work at night the photos just don't turn out too good.  I trashed two or three.  I really need to figure out how to get better photos when shooting at night!  I'll leave these in just you can see which values and hues were added next.

I mixed up a pool of light cerulean blue with lots of white and a pool of the light rosy color using a touch of Cadmium Red and/or Yellow and/or Primary Magenta.  I used each color in both the sky and the water at the same time.  I mixed the two to get the neutral color where the rose shifts to blue.

 

I even turned the painting upside down to add the color to the water.  I could also step back and see how the colors were gradating across the surface without the distraction of "seeing" the positive elements, i.e. the boats and masts. 

The sky sometimes crosses over the masts and then I pull the masts back out in front.  I am ready to start adding the rigging and other details.

Here's my palette by the end of the painting.  You can see the rose and cerulean pools of color for the sky.  And here's the finished painting:

"Rosy Sunset With Boats", 18" x 24", oil on panel, c. Charlene Marsh, Code #050417 S 18x24. SOLD

This painting really evokes the tranquility and beauty of the sunset on the water and on the boats. 

Thanks for following along!

Happy Sailing!

Cheers,

Charlene