A Day at the Beach

A Day at the Beach.  8" x 10".

 Acrylic on canvas.  2020.

My goal for the summer was to create a series of spectacular paintings using juicy and tangy colors mixed with shimmering metals like gold, copper, bronze and silver.  I tried really hard to avoid painting "straight from the tube" so I created a color chart by mixing my new colors together.  I then realized that I could peel the leftover swatches of paint from the palette paper, then glue them to the canvas with wet paint.  They create curious and unexpected shapes.

This collage speaks to me of the beach because of the persistent glare and reflections from the sun, the playful blue sky, water, ocean and clouds that roll around all day, and the various towels, blankets, sails and bathing suits all wobble together in a precarious harmony.  This abstract landscape flattens out to give a sense of the passage of time.  I wanted to make something playful, fun and full of surprises.

These are some images from a recent trip to the beach to help explain what I'm saying.  In a sense I tried to combine all of these moments into one abstract painting: