New Balloon Ship...

Follow The Leader

(10x10", Oil) Price: $160.00 SOLD

This looks a little washed out, I'm afraid. The colours are really deep and vibrant, but I'm still getting used to using our new digital camera.

I painted this at the last minute. I started out with the idea of painting another moon balloon ship piece that involved moonlit waves. The original working title was 'Wavehopping', but the ship looked lonely, and there was a negative space just begging for something to fill it. So I painted a little dolphin. Then I went 'hmmm, this composition needs some last thing'. So I painted the dolphin tail in the foreground. When I stepped back from the easel, I'd found that this little painting had developed a really nice flow and composition. Now the balloon ship looked like it was having fun, and the moon was joining in. Hence, "Follow the Leader".

I painted this in one sitting, as I wanted to get it done fast. The palette was a nice combination of Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Viridian, Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Pale, French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna. Lots of fluffy blending brushes, one fine detail Round brush, and a half inch Flat, and a half inch Filbert. I also found out why these paintings were drying so fast: the Cobalt Blue was actually a tube of Alkyd paint (synthetic oil paint) rather than real oil paint. They share the same paint drawer, and I'd mistakenly picked up the Alkyd instead of the oil tube. Doesn't really matter though - it will not affect the paint one little bit. And it will all look the same. Meanwhile, I've dug out the real Cobalt Blue...

More later,
Marianne