Colors of the Ni9ht! Nocturne Paintin9 with Louis Stephen Gadal Louis Stephen Gadal is an award-winnin9 marine artist from California, who be9an paintin9 at ni9ht because it was the only time he could carve out ef his day to make art. Over the course ef his lon9 career, he has achieved success as a sketch artist and watercolorist efmaritime subjects, but his return to nocturne paintin9 has resulted in his mastery ef a 9enre that presents unique challen9es to the artist and results in dramatic and movin9 pieces in reduced or indirect li9ht. y love for painting nocturne images started early in my career at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, Cali fornia. There, my introduction to watercolor came with my first painting class, taught by the noted watercolorist Rex Brandt, NA. My return to watercolors and the sea after many years as an architectural illustrator can be directly attributed to Brandt's enthusiastic approach for both the medium and the sea as a subject. My choice of nocturnal painting was borne more out of logistics than anything else. It was 1956, and when I was not in school I worked for my father in the landscaping business. The only time I could find for painting was when it rained and we couldn't work outdoors, or at night when work was finished for the day. I had a high school friend who also was into painting, and we would go out together after work to practice our craft. We lived not far from the Santa Monica Pier, and there was always good light to work by in the off hours; the pier itself contained some very exciting material for my subjects. I returned there many times and completed a good number of paintings in that environment. In these early stages, I experimented with many different approaches and styles. The pier itself and the people that
frequented it had a sort of magic. And from below, the sounds and the smell of the sea were intoxicating! One could not ask for a better atmosphere for a budding artist to work in. After graduating from Chouinard, I entered the field of architectural illustration and stopped painting for a number of years. The artistic culture had changed a lot, and traditional approaches were not considered in fashion anymore. I was not interested in the direction the art world had shifted cowards and spent the next fifteen years developing my drawing skills after hours, away from my job. I enjoyed some success with them and exhibited some very powerful drawings during that period, including one at the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles. Then, on a trip through San Francisco, I attended an Andrew Wyeth exhibition. I was so inspired by his work that I decided to return to watercolors. At the same time, I became aware of rhe work of a local artist, Merv Corning, who worked primarily in watercolor. His skill with the medium was impressive, and his technique elevated his work beyond the timid watercolors I had seen in works by other local artists. Another trip, this time to San Diego to view the watercolors of Donald Teague, furthered my interest in getti ng back to the watercolor medium.
Santa Monica Pier 1956
watercolor 13"x 19 11/ ' (Private collection)
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SEA HISTORY 146, SPRING 2014