Ahhhh, the sun...lest we forget what sunlight looks like I offer another Barbados painting for your viewing pleasure. A catamaran is parked peacefully upon the shore, the brisk warm wind creating ripples in the topaz-coloured water and ruffling the sail. And for 20US a local Bajan would take you out for a ride. Of course the locals always try to charge as much as they can, I got nicked on the cab ride from the plane, it turns out that any cab ride in Barbados can not cost more than 20 bajan (10 US), next time I will know!
Here is a great example of the 'English style' of watercolour painting, which means that no white paint is used. All of the white highlights (the clouds, the sunlight on the boat, the ripples in the water) had to be kept as white paper without any paint on it. Even the sail and the pontoons were virtually white paper with light grey washes. It helps a lot to think ahead when you start as to where the highlights will be, and then remember to keep this spaces free. Putting in an outline helps but be careful because a heavy pencil or paint outline will spoil the effect of the highlight. Ideally you have an outline-free highlight because hard edges make it look fake...better to blurr the edges a bit with clean water.
Catamaran Rockley Beach, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press November 2001 (No. 1176)
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