I introduced the term "sky blue pink" last month, when I began working on this painting. It's one of those concepts that is hard to describe. Even more difficult is talking about how to create it. So today I'll make it easy. Don't you just love visual explanations?
I wrote in my last post, I'll under-paint the whole sky in brilliant red, layering ultraviolet, ochre, cobalt, phthalo turquoise and pale yellow on top. That crimson glowing through the layers infuses the sky with the imminent sense of a dawning sun.
It's so much easier to just SHOW you.
There was a pivotal point in this painting when it was impossible to proceed any further without turning the sky that "sky blue pink" I had in my head. It's still a bit more dramatic than my vision, or the photograph I showed in my previous post. More sunset than dawn. Perhaps I'll change it... or not. Depends on how everything else develops.
Once I finish blocking in the bottom half with underpainting, I'll work on the egrets. I have always loved drawing and painting birds. White birds are especially challenging, since white is never truly white. Of course, whenever I feel overwhelmed by the nuances of blue-white, pink-white, golden-white, gray-white... I just look at Sargent. That man was a master of shades of white.
If birds are close to your heart, I've gathered together some of my recent works here that feature birds. I offer these as signed, archival prints that can be ordered online, and there are also some originals available. Email me with any questions.
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