Sea History 146 - Spring 2014

Page 25

Nightlights, the Pilgrim 1997, watercolor 20" x 28" (Artist collection).

Living near the coast, I could nor help but paint maritime One of the most difficult ventures for my skills as a watersubjects, and in 1992 I returned to the genre of my early days as colorist came with my decision to create a nocturne painting an artist and painted my first nocturnal piece. Painting at night of a tall ship berthed in Dana Point, the brig Pilgrim (above), introduces a wonderful atmosphere with multiple light sources the vessel used to represent the ship Richard Henry Dana Jr. and color. Unlike painting outdoors in daylight with the sun constantly moving across the sky, the light does nor change a great deal. Depending on your location, there can be any number of light sources and reflections, and the sky can provide an intense dark setting for the images bathed in whatever light there is. Mariners, of course, already know that there is often plenty of ambient light in the night sky, except for, perhaps, on a cloud-filled or overcast night w ith no moon. In this first attempt, the richness of the dark value led me to apply many layers of color to achieve the depth I needed to convey the scene as it looked to me with the naked eye. With the positive reviews this painting received, I was motivated to paint a second one, this time in nearby Marina Del Rey where pleasure boats are moored by the hundreds. Nightlights II, Marina Del Rey 1994, watercolor 20" x 28" (Private collection). Ir, too, received a fine reception. SEA HISTORY 146, SPRING 2014

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Sea History 146 - Spring 2014 by National Maritime Historical Society & Sea History Magazine - Issuu