Homeward Bound

 This is another for my solo show at the Abend Gallery, Denver CO next year. I was going to paint this awhile ago but decided to try and improve how I painted waves and water first so the recent smaller paintings were kind of trial runs before I took on this one. This is a return to my "Point Of Light" series with a lonely trawler returning to port after a long while at sea off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. I have tried to use the format to emphasise the loneliness of the trawler on the open sea set against the approaching coastline with a faint hint of orange on the horizon just around from the far headland - the home it's heading for. I hadn't planned it as a nocturne but once I had left that bright space in the sky in the tonal underpainting I decided to go with it which is just as well as the painting would have looked a bit drab without the beautiful moon in the sky.

Oil on canvas 39" x 16".

There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.

 

Homeward Bound - stage 6

 I thought I might get in all the sea today but it covers a large area so I left it here. The challenge is keeping the tones right, it has to be kind of dark as it is nighttime but visually that will be boring so I need to try and keep a variety of tones within the nocturne setting with some moonlight hitting the waves directly below without it looking cheesy...

Homeward Bound - stage 5

 Started work on the sea trying not to make it too dark so relying on the reflected moonlight to give it lighter tones and highlights. Glad I did those earlier seascape paintings as they stood me in good stead for painting this.

New colours used: Cobalt Teal, Naples Yellow-Reddish Extra, Unbleached Titanium Dioxide and Warm Light Yellow.

Homeward Bound - stage 4

 I decided to keep the moon as the whole picture would look a bit flat with little variety in tone and colour so once that decision was made I proceeded to finish the sky and paint in the Pacific Northwest coastline. Glad I made that decision and glad that I originally left that area free of paint. On to the sea....

New colour used: Lead Tin Yellow Lemon.

Homeward Bound - stage 3

 First colour pass on the sky and I remain undecided about having a moon there or not.... hopefully fresh eyes and my breakfast coffee will come up with the right decision tomorrow.

Colours used: Prussian Blue, Phthalocyanine Green, Permanent Orange, Zinc White and Warm White.

Homeward Bound - stage 2

 I have finished the basic tonal underpainting before it gets a desaturated blue wash prior to the colour going on. I'm glad I didn't rush it yesterday as that foreground needed quite a lot of thought  as I painted it in. In my mind I have always seen this in a slightly murky late afternoon light with everything in desaturated blues apart from a couple of tiny orange lights on the boat as the complementary. I wasn't planning on having that brighter spot in the sky at right but it kind of painted itself into the picture so I have kept it for the moment.

Homeward Bound - stage 1

 Back to my gallery work now as I need 15 of these paintings for a solo show in a Denver gallery next year... I was going to paint this awhile ago but decided to try and improve my painting of water before I started so some recent paintings have been partially exercises in doing just that. Whether I have improved enough for this painting we will find out soon enough...

As it is a relatively large painting (for me) I worked out that it would be difficult to get the whole tonal underpainting done in one day so I opted to make a start on the sky first once I had worked out where things are going. As this is a return to my "Point Of Light" series there will be a lonely trawler returning home from a while at sea in the failing light of evening/late afternoon. Everything will be painted in desaturated blues as a counterpoint to the tiny orange lights on the boat. Although it has a maritime theme it is really about you/me going home at the end of a hard day knowing some creature comforts are waiting for you, just a while longer in the gathering gloom....

This partial tonal underpainting uses my usual mix of Burnt Sienna and Dioxazine Purple thinned with Liquin and mainly applied with a rag.

Oil on canvas 39" x 16".