Seaside Anya

Yeah, I'm really getting into all this layering of paint, it allows me to do stuff that I always wanted to do, but couldn't before. The sky is indeed pthalo blue, with cobalt at the top- I don't have any cerulean yet. Gearing up for paint has been a long process for me. There's a store in a town 30 miles from there that sells the paint, so at ten bucks a bottle, I would pick one up every time I passed through there, when possible. I've now collected 23 colors to mix from, which seems to cover most of the bases. I'm going to try and get most of the rest of the range, by ordering one or two more each time I order boards from Blick (which is going to be often, from here on out). Meanwhile, I've revised my plan slightly for paintings, and I'm going to try to do one big painting each week, a "deluxe" offering as it were, and one simpler piece at 8 1/2" x 11" but still painted. Hoping that will accelerate my learning curve while producing lots of new material for this place.

Let's see...Kelli, Maisey, Kelsie, Dee, etc....fun! Oh yeah, and Anya. A lot of what I said below with Sophie applies here as well, I think, especially in the layering of the paint allowing light to bounce around between and through those layers. The cool colors on Anya's figure really make her come alive, and I particularly like the different blues you used in the sky (cerulean and pthalo?). This balances nicely with the other blue of the towel (ultra?), all with the slightly greener, yet still blue, ocean in between. These differing blues, coupled with the cool colors reflecting off Anya's body, give her a sense of shimmering movement which is reinforced by the effective windblown look of her hair (I can feel the sea breeze myself). Indeed, she does appear to me squirming around, perhaps in search of the best pose, or shifting from pose to pose to satisfy the viewer. The look on her face seems to be saying, "how's this, how's that?"...one viewer's interpretation, for what it's worth. Nice diagonal composition too, by the way, and the two mounds of sand are pretty sly, I must say. In any event, I think it's an excellent idea to work larger on these paintings and to keep up a weekly schedule of production. The larger size can be easier to deal with in paint, I think, and the weekly schedule will let you build quickly on what you learn from each successive piece without forgetting things with too much time in between paintings. Keep that ball 'a rollin'!

As they say, "good times were had by all!"

Very nice Andy. Looks like there is some kinky action going on in the background too!

Doctor Dweeb