Caribbean Rhapsody
Another Painting Journey At It's End ..
Looking out across the crystal turquoise waters to the edge of the horizon. Sitting on the edge of the ocean are puffy white clouds forming straight and narrow towers like dominos on a pretty blue table.
This particular journey, painting this particular Caribbean themed oil painting, has quite a lengthy history. I started this larger sized painting over 5 years ago. Yes, you read that correctly. I found an old blog post from October 27th, 2018 that detailed me starting a new project. I find it hard to believe that I put finishing it, off for so long. But life gets in the way and names change. In 2018 it looks like I flirted with calling it 'Caribbean Dream', but I have since decided to change the name to 'Caribbean Rhapsody' (which I feel is a better fit).
A New Starting Point ..
Before the journey could end, I found myself at a new starting point – a wave. A wave, with its dynamic energy and fluid motion, seemed like the perfect element to bring life to my piece. After all, a wave was the essence of what I envisioned for my painting from the very beginning. Before I dive into the waves of this finished piece, let's momentarily rewind the clock to better grasp the origins of this journey.
(((DISCLAIMER))) - This first part just below, there is a little copy and paste from a couple of my older posts about this painting. It was quite a while ago and I hope you can forgive me for my awful writing skills. I suppose they evolved along with the painting. hehehe.
Let's Go Back In Time To October 2018...
As I had awaken to a rainy and dreary day .. Much like present day December 3rd, 2023 ...
I try and get myself out of this funk and relive some great vacation memories, I decided to start a new Caribbean themed oil painting. I will most likely call it 'Caribbean Dream'. This sort of sounds like a cruise ship name, so I am not locked into it. I started this bad boy by applying Titanium White with the good old hand. I layered in some more white here. All done with my fingers. I decided to add a bit (a lot of a bit) of Pathalo Blue. It's looking dark and not so hot..It will get better..I promise. This is where I am right now. I continued to layer in white over the blue tones. I started adding a little Viridian Hue into the clouds as I am shaping them. I am going to start to define the horizon line next. This will help me get a better idea of how shaded I want the clouds to be.
The Beginning Stages ..
More Evolution ..
After a few days of thinking, I guess I didn't like how the distant clouds appeared on the horizon, so I changed it.
I was sitting quietly.. Staring at the progress of my current project. Something about it I did not like. Although at first glance the cloud mass at the middle (and which composes the majority of the painting at this point) was not sitting right with me. Yes, your right.. I am speaking in past tense. Your right, because I made some big changes to it. I consider them big because it will change the angle/point of view for this scene. After much thought, staring and debate (with myself of course and quite possibly out loud. Oh I suppose maybe the dogs were listening) I decide to push forward with the changes I thought were needed. Overall I wanted to keep my interest and stay true to my original vision of what I thought this would look like completed.
So I Just Dove In.. Not literally (haha)..I didn’t paint the water in yet! I put some paint onto the hardboard so there is no turning back. Well.. I could I guess if I wanted to :-/ I am liking what I see forming up here. This is the vision I had for this painting. This is the scene I have in my memory of those vacations to the Caribbean. Looking out across the crystal turquoise waters to the edge of the horizon. Sitting on the edge of the ocean are puffy white clouds forming straight and narrow towers like dominos on a pretty blue table. To me they are like thunderheads trying to develop, but never really gaining enough energy to establish their dominance.
I Am Excited Again.. To work on this painting during my free time. I don’t get a bunch of that these days, but with the weather turning colder and the days growing shorter (here in the NorthEast US) I am actually gaining a little free time. I think I’ll work on this a bit tonight even..NO WAIT!! It’s Halloween..Trick-Or-Treaters will be knocking on my door. The painting will just have to wait until tomorrow :-(
Did I really write that? "The painting will just have to wait until tomorrow." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahaha... Yeah, Guess that didn't happen. Guess the painting would have to wait until 2023, more like it.
Years Later Inspiration Strikes Again ..
It's no secret that I have been struggling with work .. And I need to be creative from time to time in order to mentally escape the stress and anxiety of it all. I thought to myself a while back, that I need to take the time to do things that I enjoy in order to relieve the stress. Sex almost immediately came to mind first.. Now we're going to see who is paying attention.. LOL .. But I thought I would stick to something I could blog about safely. Painting! hehe. I remembered that I like to paint and I like the way it feels to create something. So when Sunday arrived and I had a few hours to kill, I grabbed that painting off of the easel, took it outside, and began to get to work on it again.
The sand was the next big thing to tackle today .. So I began laying that in. I used Titanium White mixed with a tad of Burnt Umber. I was looking for a light brownish grey color sand tone.
Stress Gone - Enter A Better Frame Of Mind .. So very glad that I did this.. I needed to do this for so many reasons, and all of them legit. Getting back on the horse after a long break from the ride, is hard. It was hard getting back into the painting, but then somewhere in there I remembered my happiness was the most important thing.
One Last Go At This ..
The painting remained untouched for about a month .. Quietly witnessing the ebb and flow of summer. As September arrived, signaling the unofficial conclusion of the warm season, Molly's health took a sharper downturn. Although she had been struggling for an extended period, it now became increasingly apparent that her time was more limited than we initially thought.
Regrettably, Molly passed away on the serene afternoon of October 3rd, 2023.
Her passing and absence left me utterly heartbroken. Such setbacks can halt our momentum, leaving us adrift and purposeless. Yet, even in the face of this life-altering loss, I discovered a glimmer of hope. In the later part of October, I scraped the dried paint from my palette, dusted off my brushes, and embarked on the final leg of a journey that had begun five years earlier on an October day. It was time to channel the despair over Molly's departure into my art. I found inspiration in the awareness that this was precisely what I needed to navigate through the grief and rekindle my creativity. After all, it is an integral part of who I am.
I Began To Paint Again ..
As I delved into the intricacies of capturing the essence of a wave .. I realized that mastering the art of waves was no easy feat. Despite my passion for painting and my love for the subject matter, I quickly acknowledged that waves posed a unique challenge. Painting a wave, especially one caught in the act of curling and crashing into a foamy white mess, demanded a set of skills that were both nuanced and complex.
I also realized that for this wave to appear genuinely realistic .. I had to invest equal time and effort in depicting the smaller wave remnants in the foreground of the painting. Employing a multipoint perspective, I aimed to provide viewers with a more immersive experience when observing the artwork from a distance.
Incorporating nuanced color variations, like introducing blues and purples to craft shadows, initiates the process of breathing life into the painting, imparting a heightened sense of depth and movement.
The journey to paint the perfect wave .. Was, and still is, an ongoing process. They say practice makes perfect, and in the realm of painting waves, that adage holds true. Each stroke of the brush became an opportunity to refine my technique, to understand the play of light and shadow on the water's surface, and to capture the kinetic energy of a wave in motion.
My concentration is unwavering. hahaha.. I guess you could say I am determined to give it my best.
One of the most challenging aspects I encountered .. Was creating the illusion of a wave mid-curl. The subtle balance between the upward arch, the curving crest, and the impending crash demanded precision. It required not only a keen eye for detail but also a deep understanding of the fluid dynamics at play. As I persevered, I found myself not just learning to paint waves but also gaining an appreciation for the intricacies of the ocean's dance.
The depiction I had created so far, featuring a curling wave breaking into the tranquil foamy water, didn't seem accurate. I was troubled with the proportions, especially regarding the height of the crashing section of the wave. Following thorough deliberation and a moment of meticulous attention to detail (OCD), I chose to paint over that specific part of the wave and rework it to align with my initial vision.
When I needed a break from painting all of those small details in the waves and water, I would turn my attention to the sky. The clouds, too, required some refinement. I introduced wispy clouds in the upper reaches of the painting and revised the lower sections of the clouds just above the horizon line. Additionally, I delicately added a few distant waves breaking over the outer barrier reef.
The foaming white mess that follows the crest of a wave added another layer of complexity to my artistic endeavor. Achieving the right texture and capturing the chaotic beauty of crashing waves required experimenting with different brush techniques and learning to embrace the unpredictability of the medium.
Despite the challenges and frustrations .. I have discovered a sense of joy and fulfillment in teaching myself the art of painting waves. The painting was really coming together now and my vision was almost at fruition. The process has become a journey of self-discovery, pushing the boundaries of my artistic abilities, and finding inspiration in the ever-changing nature of the sea. With every stroke, I was not just painting a wave .. I was capturing a moment in time, freezing the perpetual motion of the ocean on my piece of hardboard.
All It Needed Was My Signature ..
My project, my journey, was coming to an end .. All the piece needed at this point was my signature and a quiet place to rest for another month or two. I really can not believe that I am almost finished with this piece (and this blog post - hehe).
The Final Touch To A Very Long Process Feels Great!
As I continued to refine my skills .. And deepen my understanding of the complexities involved, I became more and more excited about the evolution of this painting. The hardboard, once blank and daunting, was now a vision seen through to completion; The allure and strength of waves set against a backdrop of gentle, white Caribbean clouds.
With each new painting, I am not just honing my craft; This time I am riding the waves of my artistic expression, inching closer to the mastery of capturing the essence of the Caribbean sea.
'Caribbean Rhapsody'
24" X 36" Oil Painting
By BDMiller
The wave, once a challenging starting point, has become the heartbeat of this artistic pursuit – a rhythmic dance that only propels me forward, one brushstroke at a time.
Now on to the next adventure!
A symphony of hues unfolds in "Caribbean Rhapsody," a masterpiece five years in the weaving. Each stroke, a note, composed with patience and passion, tells the story of a journey that was both winding and rewarding. The canvas now sings with the vibrant spirit of the Caribbean, a testament to dedication and artistic fervor. As the final brushstroke settles, a profound sense of accomplishment lingers, echoing through the studio walls. "Caribbean Rhapsody" finds its place on a tranquil shelf, patiently waiting, a silent melody in the drying embrace of the artist's sanctuary.