SEA-SPUME-FOAM-FROTH UNDER-OVER WATER oil paintings
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INTRODUCTION I planned on beginning this journal with the poem Sea Fever by John Masefield. But due to copyright laws it is not possible. However please Google it and read it for yourself. The last two lines of the second verse are highly appropriate and were the lines I really wanted to use I love the sea, I grew up beside the sea. It is ever changing. I love storms and waves crashing against the rocks. I adore the colour blue in all it's shades from very dark to turquoise. I now live in the countryside and I do sometimes miss the sea. Maybe one day I will live beside the sea again, who knows.
INFLUENCE I began my sea paintings after a trip I made to Jordan in 2011. We were snorkeling in the red sea and whilst looking over the side of the speed boat I was fascinated by the spume and froth created by the boat as it raced over the waves. This I thought would make a interesting series of paintings. Back home I started with oil on canvas measuring 60x60cm. So far I have six paintings and I am working on more to get enough for an exhibition. I am looking for a venue close to the sea as it seems to me to be appropriate to show seascapes by the sea.
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Spume-Foam-Froth
Each painting is unique but similar. I paint the blue of the sea generally with French Ultramarine sometimes adding Paynes grey to darken it and the white has a thick texture. You may think I painted the sea in a flat shade of blue but it is not at all flat. There is a depth to it. There are nuances and shades and texture to the blue of the sea. Obviously I have used a lot of white paint to make the froth of the sea. I wanted it to have real depth and and movement. As there is so much thick white paint, these paintings take a long time to dry. I have been working on them for over a year. I generally work on about three paintings at a time as they have to dry between each layer of paint. I think it is too easy to over paint if one is in a hurry. I might work on a painting for 30 minutes or an hour before moving onto the next painting. Or I might work for longer or less time. It all depends on how the painting is progressing. Naturally all my paintings are signed and dated. The Sea Froth paintings sell for â‚Ź1500 each. This includes shipping to any address worldwide and a certificate of authenticity. www.bluemoonart.net
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Miniature Marine Seascapes I have recently got interested in ACEO's so, it was natural to make miniature sea paintings too. Instead of paintings above the waves they are below. These miniatures are called Art Cards, Editions Originals or Art Trading Cards. Each painting measures 3.5"x2.5" This type of art work has become very popular in the USA and is an affordable way of collecting original art in an inexpensive way. I actually enjoy making miniatures a lot, even though they are quite time consuming and they take longer to make than most people realise. They are general sold for a very reasonable price which in no way reflects the work that has gone into making them. So effectively they are very good value. I started with different tones of blue & turquoise oil paint and wanted to show the light filtering down from above. Then I added coral, printed with various shades of oil paint. They are a sort of mono print. The oil paint is rubbed onto a ceramic tile and then I press the painting onto the oil and get a coral effect. It's a hit and miss affair as I cannot see how it is going to turn out until I turn over the painting. Sometimes it doesn't work and the painting is ruined and sometimes it is just right. However, I love the effect and I love the deep blue colours of the sea. Every miniature is signed and dated on the back. The miniature seascapes sell for the miniature price of â‚Ź20 each plus â‚Ź5 for shipping worldwide, this includes an envelope and a certificate of authenticity. www.bluemoonart.net
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CONTACT
I was born in Ireland & studied Fine Arts in the Dun Laoghaire School of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland specialising in Painting and RHoK Brussels, Belgium specialising in Graphic Art. I live and work in France. Web Sites: bluemoonart.net booksinboxes.net bluemoonweb.net Etsy:
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