Are you willing to travel with me to a far off land? One of warm air, warm water, and warm memories? Then let me take you there by simply setting your eyes on my latest creation! Let's Set Sails together!

Another Caribbean Themed Painting ..

A week ago hi posted about a small Caribbean themed watercolor called ‘Sails Up’. This week I am writing about a sister painting called ‘Setting Sails’. I have rightly named this one. No, it is not a mistake that I use the plural form of sail well naming this small painting. Since there are three sailboats on the horizon I thought it would be befitting that I pluralized the word. I suppose I’m in a Caribbean sailboat sort of mood lately given all this cold weather. Like I mentioned in a previous post, if I can’t be there I may as well paint a picture of my ideal vacation view!

Today We Are ‘Setting Sails’

And heading to calmer seas with strong winds and warm air. We are pulling up anchor and sitting out on an adventure a crossed the open waters. Well, that is if you allow your imagination to run wild and explore the unknown after taking a long hard gaze at my newest watercolor painting.

This little guy measures approximately 2 1/2 inches high by 7 inches wide, with a slim, white, unpainted border around it edges. I worked on this piece for approximately 45 minutes to an hour and enjoyed every moment of that time. During that time I spent painting I also spent it daydreaming. How can one’s mine not drift when utilizing such beautiful colors, as found in the Caribbean. I tried to use some of those same colors in this particular piece; blue, green, turquoise, yellow, white, red and orange.

The idea was not to spend a large amount of time on the piece. I still wanted to spend enough time to create something special and unique, but didn’t want to spend all day on such a small painting. Sometimes I like to consider the smaller pieces studies of sorts. I’m studying and practicing to create something larger in the future. Creating the small pieces gives me ideas and also allows me to figure out what I want to do and what I don’t want to do in a larger piece.

The Process ..

I gathered my supplies and place them within a close proximity to my workspace. I had my blotting towel, brushes, water, water color paint, and a small piece of 140 pound cold pressed watercolor paper. Like similar pieces, I taped the paper to a work surface covering up the outer edge of the paper. Later on this tape would be removed to reveal a nice crisp clean white edge around the entire Painting.

Taking my time, I mixed the right shades of turquoise and blue, then applied them to specific areas of the paper. I wanted to keep the horizon line low on the paper. What I mean by this is I wanted the amount of visible water to be less than that area of the sky. I like larger skies in most of my paintings.

Then I added some highlights to the water to give the impression of waves. Instead of watercolor paint, I used titanium white oil paint for this step. I wasn't going for high detail here, simply just the impression of breaking waves was what I was after.

I also used some of that white oil paint to touch up the clouds in the sky. I added this to the painting with my finger in a random fashion. I moved the tip of my finger around in circles and smudge patterns to gain the look I was going for. The clouds came out almost swirl like, but I sort of like that about them. I tried not to over do it with the highlights, but I may have by mistake.

At some point after I created the clouds with the oil paint, I moved on to the sailboat but forgot to take a picture in between that process. I randomly placed three sailboats along the horizon, just to the right of center in the painting. I kept them small because I did not want them to be the center of attention but rather just a slight statement in the overall general feel of the piece. I really wanted to wave crashing in the front to be the eye-catching item. I believe I accomplished this, but tell me if I’m wrong.

Soon I Was Done With My Creation..

I set the painting up in front of me and sat back in my chair, before deciding whether or not to peel the tape from the edges and called this project complete. I took in the work from a distance to see if I had all the details I wanted in place. I felt good about the work, and I also felt it transported me to the Caribbean in a simple and clean fashion. A big smile came across my face as I enjoyed what I had created. It was like my very own, little window to a vacation.

I’m now only realizing that I wish my window were bigger, included palm trees, sand, the warm breeze and all you can drink cocktails!

A man can dream, can’t he?

Come And Let Us Set Sails Together!

“Bad, or good, as it happens to be, that is what it is to exist! . . . It is as though I have been silent and fuddled with sleep all my life. In spite of all, I know now that at least it is better to go always towards the summer, towards those burning seas of light; to sit at night in the forecastle lost in an unfamiliar dream, when the spirit becomes filled with stars, instead of wounds, and good and compassionate and tender. To sail into an unknown spring, or receive one's baptism on storm's promontory, where the solitary albatross heels over in the gale, and at last come to land. To know the earth under one's foot and go, in wild delight, ways where there is water.”
― Malcolm Lowry, Ultramarine

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

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Some of my work can be found on Etsy. I am slowly working at uploading more and more works. Some of my new works may not be completely dry or sealed yet, so ask me if you don't see something that you may be interested in. Thank you for taking the time to browse my collection!