Drawing challenge: Something from the ocean

I don’t know about everyone…and I’d love it if you told me, 😀 … but I love starting a canvas not knowing what it is I want to paint, and just waiting for something to evolve out of the mess.

This is what I did on Wednesday and Thursday. Well, actually, I knew I wanted to paint something from the ocean as part of this drawing challenge, and I sort of had it in the back of my mind that maybe jellyfish might be fun, and also I knew I wanted to use acrylics and not oils and have some immediate gratification without having to wait for two weeks for the oil to be dry enough, but apart form that this 30″ x 40″ canvas was an open book.

So I toned it with some Tri-Art sludge, (this is a great product in this line of not so great products), and started painting in some watery colours.

Then I used more paint and a spray water bottle to break up, drip and distress the third layer of paint. The jellyfish-like circles were made by tracing around the cat’s plastic food bowl…lol. (Hint: A bunched up length of masking tape makes a great handle on the back of the bowl so you can lift it off the canvas without getting fingerprints in the circle or distorting it.)

Then I stood back and looked at the painting so far and saw great towers of kelp, and just like that, my jellyfish turned into kelp forests. 😀 Whatayagonnado?

I walked away from the canvas, came back, grabbed a water soluble marker and drew in more kelp, then painted it in and darkened the lights.

This is how I left it last night, (left), and, when I came back to it this morning, (right), I didn’t hate it. Lol – it happens. But I so love the photos I took of the painting in the dappled sunlight of the patio. Wish I could get that effect with paint. Must practice more.

This morning I ran to my local art supply store and bought some Golden glazing medium, fun stuff that, and glazed some light back into the painting, and suggested a school of herring with a bit of blue and glazing medium.

And so here it is. A forest of giant Pacific sea kelp with a school of herring straight out of the rich waters of the beautiful Pacific to my living room. (Wouldn’t this painting make a beautiful stained glass window?)

Come stop by and see all the brilliant briny ideas happening with: Patrice, Marian, Ariane, Melodye, Tammie, Eric, Barbara, Joke, Jennifer, and Nadine (who probably will).