“Side by Side” was one of those paintings that became a challenge. I thought I was going to start working on smaller paintings but so far I haven’t been able to steer myself in that direction…I like working on big canvases! Although paintings like this appear to be almost photographic, they really aren’t. Upon closer inspection you can see the brush strokes and where a simple brush stroke represents highlights on a face or the suggestion of a rusty stain.
There are two areas of this painting of which I am the most proud. First is the coloration of the hull of the boat on the right. There are barnacles or some type of algae growth along the exposed waterline that extends from bow to stern. Then there is the shadow of the boat on the left projecting on the hull of the boat on the right. So the texture of the algae has to carry through the lighted part and then through the shaded part. A completely different color palette for each section of the hull. Second is the painting of the tires secured to the hull of the boat on the right. It was fun to paint and see how little I could get away with in terms of detail yet still look like a tire. I’m really proud of those tires! Ha.
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