"Morning Light on the Lagoon"

"Morning Light on the Lagoon"

18x24 oil on canvas

2012

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One thing I enjoy about mastering methods of painting on my own, are the challenges.  I surprise myself continuously as my techniques and skills enhance within a short period of time.  Just as my pastel paintings have got better over the years, I feel my oil paintings are too.  I am quickly becoming more and more comfortable with a brush and wet paint and the process of applying it onto canvas. 

 

The challenge in this painting was capturing the mood and interpreting the light.  The trees, shoreline, and background came with ease.  It was the light and shadow on the surface of the water I found most challenging.  Shadows were not big bold shapes, the sun light was actually shining through the trees and scattered all around.  To interpret it exactly would take up too much time, so I decided to just throw paint around and play with it...some shadow here, some light there...and when the painting felt done, it actually turned out beautifully.  This painting was done in studio and depicts the lagoon at Krug Park in St. Joseph, MO.