The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #24

If you've been following along with my Wall Talk series, even if only parts of it, you know by now I have an affinity for beauty as well as flowers. Time to let you in on another secret - I love the beach and the ocean! Ever since I was a child, I have reveled in the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean and the sand beneath my feet. I live near Birch Point State Park in Owls Head Maine. To this day, it is still one of my favorite places to visit and meditate in the early mornings during the summer. I walk down to the beach and venture to my favorite perch over a massive driftwood log. I imagine the log was washed up during a hurricane years ago, as it has been on the beach for years.

Ironically, the idea to paint the beach scene came to me while I was shopping in a local art supply store. It was there I found a huge 42" x 60" inch canvas buried and hidden in a corner of the store and it was on sale. I was like a kid in a candy store, full of glee in finding this treasure. My husband, at the time, was not so enthusiastic, as the canvas barely fit into my van.

I worked on this painting from a photo I had taken. The ocean water had to be put on in glazes, which is the process of multiple layers of paint over time. I had to allow the time between each layer for the proper amount of dryness to set in or else run the risk of the glazes blending incorrectly together and looking like mud. There was also the possibility of letting a layer dry too much, and not being able to blend the next one and/or not adhering properly. I have found over the years that it isn't easy painting in oils - it takes creating numerous messes to learn the techniques that work for you.

In the end, when the painting was finished several weeks later, it looked very lifelike. So much so, that my mother, who came to visit, went up and touched it.
"Mom, what are you doing?" I asked.
"It looks so real." she replied.
"What are you doing?!" I asked again.

She just stared at me blankly. "You're touching the painting! Mom - you work at an art gallery as a guard. What is one of your primary jobs there? To keep people from touching the paintings and other works of art!!"
While she agreed with me as to her job duties, she had no idea as to why a person should never touch an oil painting. In a nutshell, the dirt and oils in your hands (even though you may think they are clean) actually break down the oil pigments and characteristics in the paint and will eventually corrode the art work.

I love my Mom, but after that incident, I needed another trip to my secluded spot on the beach...

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill