British Virgin Islands

I started this painting a while back, but I've been so busy with shows, workshops, and classes that I had a chance to finish it until now. I painted this from some reference photos that I shot when I was in the British Virgin Islands recently, and this scene is from a wonderful marina on the island of Tortola. The water in this little harbor is a hot shade of cerulean blue, and seems to glow with its own light. The bright greens of the palms cast warm reflections on the surface of the water, in stark contrast to the cool blues and violets of the shadows. I painted most of this one as a demonstration, so I don't have any step-by-step photos to show you, but I can explain the process a little...

Sailboats at BVI Marina, 14x20

 I started the with masking off the boats and the white reflections in the water, and then I laid in some washes of color. I started with the lightest values and colors, and built up layers to achieve the darker values. The blues are cerulean and manganese, with a little bit of coblat for the cooler shades. Darker shadows were layered in with payne's grey mixed with violet, and I warmed it in a few places with a touch of olive. The palms are also painted in olive, and a little indigo helped to create the darker shadows. Lighter leaves of the fronds were lifted out with a damp brush. Want to learn how to paint like this? Sign up now for one of my up-coming classes or workshops!