In this short story, I talk about the importance of retreating from a difficult painting and coming back to it at a later date. I found that I had to make several retreats before I could paint this particular subject well.
This week I went to the sea. It’s only a ten minute bicycle ride from my house. I didn’t know how it would go though as it was one of those hit or miss days when the sky is very cloudy and dramatic which would be wonderful to paint and yet there is a big chance that at any moment it will rain and I’d have to quit painting and go home.
I was running like a maniac at the sea and falling into the high waves and it was wonderful. I did it again and again. Then I ran into the sea and dived into the waves.
On this day, there was a beautiful silvery sky. I was so moved by this scene, that I rushed home and got my art equipment. However, when I came out of the house the sky had become dull. Disappointed but not defeated, I decided to cycle to the sea with the hope that at some point the sky would brighten up again. And it did a little and I ended up painting one of my favorite sea paintings.
I did an experiment in which I used a tissue to create a misty effect to a painting of a sea cliff.
In 2014 I often got on my bicycle and went to the sea. Here I would paint the sunset. I always hoped for a spectacular sunset. But sometimes it wasn’t so spectacular because it became very cloudy. On this occasion, although it became quite cloudy and the sunset was not very spectacular, I still thought it was beautiful.
The hot and humid weather forced me indoors. But this was not a bad thing. Because in my studio, also known as the kitchen table, I did some watercolor sketches on scrap paper. I did sketches of a wet beach with soft reflections. In the process I struck a creative vein and ended up painting a series of pictures upon this subject.
Here I talk a little about the difference between painting outdoors and painting indoors. Although I prefer to paint outdoors, one thing I like about painting indoors is that it gives me the chance to experiment more. And I talk about one of my indoor painting experiments that led to a painting of a beach with a sky reflection.
In this story, I talk about the importance of keeping a visual record of your artwork.
During 2013, I would often get on my bicycle and cycle to the sea. It was just a 10 minute cycle ride. And at the sea, I had a spectacular view of Beppy bay. I would usually go at evening time and paint the sun setting over this bay. It was a wonderful experience. And when I was looking through my artwork I found 9 paintings of Beppu bay from that year.