Old Black Dragger

[Enyaw]

11 x 14 inches .. acrylic on paper .. alla prima .. painted Mar07/26 .. b & w photo reference .. Riverport where the old boat is docked for winter.

 

[Donna T]

I really like this, Wayne! You must be very comfortable painting boats living where you do.

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you Donna. Actually no. I tried some over the years but they were not convincing. This one came off. I do think it’s because I now seek value and not color and in that my color is more to the point. It takes away the headache of matching color.

 

[Donna T]

Color and value are hard for me to mentally separate. I’ll bet this way lets you use color more as a design element too, as in an eye-catching red boat.

 

[Enyaw]

I took the photo and the attraction was the black boat and red boat with snow and ice. I turn my photo to mono and then use posterize in an adobe to reduce my photo to 5 values. I make my dark, not neutral, but close. A combo of my dark colors, ultra blue, hooker green, crimson, burnt umber. I then use white to get my other values. White is not a value as my lightest is a tint and not pure. Black is not a value as my back is dark as black but not stark. I mix my 4 just one value above my dark and my middle 2 values above my dark, then my light 3 values above with my lightest being 4 values above. I used to use a value chart but now I just eyeball it. Then when I apply my color I try to stay inside my value blockin except places where I feel an embellishment would count. I try to use warm and cold to enhance the feeling of light. I find it helps be painterly as it removes the need for detail.

 

[Terri]

The way you paint is fascinating! You've been getting beautiful results lately and the palettes have been splendid.

I love your two boats in this cold water on a late winter's day. Red boat in the foreground, green tree line in the background - wonderful.

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you Terri. Accidentals .. no plan, just paint and assemble by what I need at a particular point in the painting. I really enjoy the freedom of value before color. It really fees up thought and allows expression.