Seascape studies in acrylic

Sea study 4, acrylic 6" x 4.5"

I wanted to figure out how to paint the sea with only a palette knife. So, I split a canvas into four squares and did a small study in each. I could feel my strokes getting gradually more confident and the result less muddled. I'm still very far from where I want to get, but I feel I have some control over the paint and the knife. And also having fun.

Sea study 3, acrylic 6" x 4.5"

Sea study 2, acrylic 6" x 4.5"

Sea studies

Cliffview Park

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes to all!
Let there be sun and joy

Cliffview park, acrylic 12" X 9"

 Another attempt with a pallet knife, though I couldn't figure out how to do the water in that technique.

Reflections in the mountains (acrylic)

Mountain reflections, acrylic, 12" x 9"

Tried the same scene that I did in watercolor before. Ended up doing quite a lot of fiddling as there are more smaller details than in the two previous acrylics and I'm still using mostly a palette knife. Well, acrylic is much more forgiving than watercolor and the goal is to have fun.

Mountain views in acrylic

Rila mountain, acrylic 12" x 9"

Hillside shrubs, acrylic 12" x 9"
(based on Gerald Ashcroft's tutorial)

I want to thank my friend, Dina, for making me sign for a painting workshop last weekend. It was at the McMichael's gallery so we also saw the Tommy Thompson exhibition. That unlocked something in me and I couldn't stop thinking about painting. 

For courage, I went through a tutorial by an Australian artist Gerald Ashcroft, whose loose style attracted me. Following it, I did the second landscape with only four colors and a painting knife. Then I applied the same technique to the top view from the Rila mountains in Bulgaria. Each painting took me about two hours and I truly enjoyed doing them.

Reflections in the mountain

Mountain - study

 A hake brush and three colors...

River

River - studies

 

Skyline

a study of the Toronto skyline