As the days pass in March, light brings out the best in Victoria. Little bulbs become green shoots, almond blossom bursts out from the trees and the daylight lasts longer. I am working on preparations for my exhibit opening April 3rd, Easter weekend. Today I picked up the flyers and posters which have been printed with gold foil and look great. They are expensive to print but the same cost as going to the dentist and I’d rather have the gold flyers.
In the studio the paintings for the exhibit are now stretched and ready to go. The exhibit will be open for visitors at the weekends through April and I can also arrange personal visits through the week. It’s fantastic having a show at Xchanges as my studio is right next to the Gallery and I can wander in and out to check on the possibilities of display.
This painting is from a sketch at Gonzales beach when the tide was just receding and the warm glow of a setting sun cast pink shadows over the rocks.
The tide retreats leaving eddies and shallow pools where seabirds forage for grubs and skim the water surface searching for food. A Seagull can stir up invertebrates and other small marine life paddling with its feet. Some seabirds use their sense of smell to find food. Around 6pm the light is soft and warm giving a pink glow to the rocks and islands along the shoreline.
I paint with reference to my chalk pastel sketch which contains the basic elements of the scene. Then memory fills in the emotional content, the warmth of the evening, the sounds of the birds as they paddle around and ducks as they quack and dive, the soft pull and push of the waves across the shore.