Rob’s Waterco☺ler

During my 2004 deployment we carried two SH-60 LAMPS helicopters.  This painting was inspired from a photograph of a live fire shot with both helicopters flying; one shooting a Hellfire missile and the other observing along with the ship.  15 x 22 watercolor on 300lbs paper. The water is Antwerp Blue and Cadmium Yellow to make a nice turquoise and I added a bit of wax before I started for some interesting white skips in the water.

In June 2001 my family and I were fortunate to be able to participate in the last wedge rally for a ship launched on the inclined ways at Bath Iron Works, Bath ME.  Subsequent to the launching I was the commissioning Electronics Officer and took the ship through several deployments, including Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.  Below is a news article clip that explains the significance of the event.  What is not explained is the day before the launch, all the shipyard workers, crew and guests drive wedges between the ways and the structures the ship was built on.  This painting is from that event, know as a wedge rally.

CHANGING WAYS TRADITION YIELDS TO EFFICIENCY AT BIW On Saturday, the Mason will be the last BIW-made vessel to slide into the Kennebec River during its launch.
By   DENNIS HOEY Staff Writer
Portland Press Herald (ME) June 21, 2001
Page 1A

At precisely 3:25 p.m. Saturday, Bath Iron Works will end 117 years of shipbuilding tradition. That is when the 5,800-ton Navy destroyer Mason (DDG 87) will be released from its cradle, beginning its descent along greased, inclined building ways. The vessel will reach speeds of up to 12 mph before its hull crashes into the Kennebec River. It will be the last time a Navy destroyer is launched at BIW using the inclined building ways.

The finished watercolor done wet-in-wet style.  1/2 sheet, cold pressed Winsor Newton paper.

and some along the way shots…

And some pictures from the results of the hard work…

Well I almost finished the Happy Sparrow painting (renamed: “On the Wrong Side of the Tracks”) in time to display it in the Manassas Art Guild eARTh 2.0 show in Old Town Manassas today.

A great time was had by all today and I noticed that many people stopped and looked at this painting so it is on the right track.  Cadmium Orange has a way of hitting you head on and making you notice.  It is almost radioactive

Make sure you take a look at the Manassas Art Guild Blog for all the eARTh 2.0 pictures!

http://www.manassasartguild.com/blog/2008/04/26/earth-20-its-a-wrap/

Rob

I took a needed break from oils this weekend and started working on this watercolor painting of the Manassas Battlefield Stone Bridge.   I used a reference photo from a there with some NOVAL and MAG artists.

I am not sure if the painting is done (it sure is colorful, is it not?)  I have painted this bridge twice before and each time I don’t know if it is getting better or worse.   It is not getting easier

The painting is 16 x 20 on 140lbs cold pressed paper.  I used my full pan watercolor set.

Rob

I stayed up waaaay too late last night and finished roughing in this 30 x 40 oil painting.  I am going to change the perspective and shirt color of the sitting boy.  He will end up with a short sleeve shirt.  I am thinking a light blue or faded red shirt.  Maybe a black concert shirt…hmmm.  I also have to add depth, contrast and reflection to the water.  Right now is is several layers of Naples Yellow, white and dirty brush.  There is the matter of the fish and where to put it, and how much to show.  Also any other details, tackle box, bird, dragon fly, bike…hmmm…choices…

Detail, detail and more detail.

I am not going to think about it all day and maybe I will have some ideas tonight.

Rob

Thought I would get these up here.  I have not painted on this 30 x 40 oil today, but I did get some better light to photo it.  It is coming slow and steady and I plan to take at least another month to finish it; so by that guage, I am on schedule Rob

Time to call it quits for the night.  Here is the progress after two days.  I have put a tremendous amount of Ultramarine Blue and White in the sky, along with a film of linseed oil.  The trees in the background were made by using the greens and browns I mixed from my primary colors.  I used the complimentary’s to give them a muted, distant look.

The water is mostly Titanium White with a smattering of Green and Purple.  I will add in the depth and contrast last.  The trees are simply the Browns I mixed and are muted and contrasted with the Blue I mixed for the sky and the Purple I mixed for the water.

This is just the roughed in “easy part”.  The fine detail will come over the next weeks and/or months.

So far so good.  Since this is such a LARGE canvas (30×40), I have been standing the whole time.  That seems to help me keep my focus, but my feet do not like it much. ;p  Guess I have gotten used to being a lazy watercolorist!  Time to break out of that mold.

Rob

Here is the 30 x 40 inch canvas with the drawing laid out.  It is compositionally far enough along to start painting.  I really want to get some color on canvas and then consider some of the other items to include (or not).  Speaking of color:

This will be a limited palette painting.  Largely because I have a limited amount of good quality oil paints.  I am also trying a great tip about using Press and Seal wrap on my palette.

I started painting last night for a few hours and will post some shots as it comes along.  This is the biggest oil painting I have ever done.  I am pretty stoked up about it.

This is the start of the final drawing for the Fishing on a River painting.  When complete I will transfer the image onto a 30×40 gallery wrap canvas and start an oil painting.  So far I have added the two boys, fish and river with trees in fore and background.  I am still debating several of the other details and where to put them.

Sorry about the photo shot.  I am having a battle with the lighting for such a large paper and with my drafting table tilted.

Rob

Well I have been back at the fishing on a river project.  Above are my latest sketches which may be included in the final drawing.  I have a general layout in my sketch book, along with a blank white 20 x 30 Strathmore illustration board.  The next step will be to start laying out a very detailed full sized drawing and adding in these misc sketches where they fit.  After that I will chose either oil or watercolor and proceed to transfer the drawing to a large gallery wrap canvass or full sheet watercolor paper.

Here is a close up detail of the gnarly rooted river bank.

Rob