A few months back at the end of our cold winter here in Jersey, I was talking to a friend about summer. It seemed like it would never arrive with the brutally cold winter we were dealing with. It got me thinking back to last summer and the iconic scenes that make summer so special. I got overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings of sweet summer and everything it represented to me. Thus, the inspiration for this painting was born.
Visions of warm water, surfing early morning sessions, the blindingly bright sun rays, seagulls and sexy bikini babes basking in the sun. I thought this was a great opportunity to bring together my love of the female form with my passion for surfing and beach living. After a few sketches, I came up with this (below) and knew it was the direction I wanted to go in.
Sketch for "Sweet Aspirations"
One of my favorite times of day is when the sun is at it’s warmest tones of yellow, ambers and oranges in the morning and evening. There’s a ten minute window of light that is just magical and I wanted that to inspire my palette.
I really wanted to utilize the reality of multiple perspectives. The woman taking a moment away from her reading to witness the absolute beauty of the sun and the waves manifesting in front of her. The seagull unaware of any significance of the woman’s beauty, whose only concern is enjoying the warmth the sun is so generously offering. The viewer of the painting taking a voyeuristic angle observing the scene in it’s entirety. All elements separate, yet so interconnected.
I played with the sharpness and shadows to direct attention to the strength of the light’s path. Your eye takes a journey through the surrealistic swirling water, the flowing lines and curvaceous nature of the clouds, waves, her body and the bird. Upon closer observation, you may even find some subliminal images in certain areas of the painting.
This painting is now available as fine art giclées and giclée gallery wrapped canvas. I hope it brings you joy of warm summer days and helps you aspire to greatness.
(Detail view of "Sweet Aspirations")
