Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches
In the studio
 
About this oil:
On a ferry ride to the San Juan Islands I was struck by the colors and shapes in this scene. As simple as it seems, there is much left for interpretation. My photo of that moment was valuable for recording the shapes but lacking as an interesting painting.
 
I set out to make the island more prominent but only as a part of a much more intriguing scene. None of the water and sky patterns looked as they are in this painting, those were sketched in at the onset and changed several times. 
 
This painting quickly took on a life of its own. My intention was to take this calming scene and make it expressive in some way. Thinking of blues and greys as a theme, I put them in and just to push things a bit, a soft red. That’s when everything changed and this painting became hungry for more colors. 
 
As a colorist, this was my personal paradise, using the color to make masses of land into delicate shapes and to color the air itself.  What a ride!