It’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog because I have been locked in the studio staying focused on completing an oil pastel painting called, “A Rough Sea.” It was just finished this morning.
A couple of weeks ago I posted, “Rough Sea Study” as a subject that I was working on to see whether it would make for an interesting painting. Once I started the subject in a larger size the piece had a mind of its own and went through many changes from the original study, which was not a bad thing because improvements were made.
Several notable changes: the sky became dramatic, rocks were added, and the sliver of beach was eliminated and replaced with more water coming into the foreground.
A Rough Sea, Oil Pastel (11×14)
I so wanted to start back up painting landscapes, but this painting kept calling for me to finish before I moved to another subject. Glad I did, there were many challenges and new areas to explore with this piece.
Have a wonderful weekend!! Mary
Oil Pastels by Mary 
This is outstanding! The drama and intensity is enlivening!
Hi Cyndi, thank you so much – I’m glad you enjoyed the painting! Speaking of drama, this was a lot of fun watching it being played out on the canvas. Thank you Cyndi!
Living at the sea i have seen a sky like that over her. The light is magnificent. Wonderful painting.
Thanks so much Don, I appreciate your view of the sea – appreciate your comments!!!
The composition is wonderful and is the painting. I remember the study, and though I liked it, this one is stellar. The color is perfection. Marvelous.
Hi Elena, oh your comments mean so much to me – they are really appreciated. I’m of the school that a study is just that, it allows one to see what works and what doesn’t. In this piece there were significant changes that I think fit the painting much better – thank you!! Happy Easter ~
Wonderful!!! I feel the storm coming and I like the rocks. 🙂
Wonderful Kara, thank you so much for your generous comments. Sometimes storms can make the most beautiful setting ~
What a beautiful painting, Mary!! So full of life, energy, power! I like it a lot!! 🙂 Have a great weekend & Happy Easter!
Hi Calee, thank you for your special message – appreciate it. This painting took me in a lot of new directions, nervous that it wouldn’t work out but I think it all came together in the end. Thanks so much and hope you have a wonderful Easter!!
Wow, this is really a great painting !
Hi Petronette, thank you for your kind comments. I’m glad you liked this one, it was a lot of fun to do. I hope you are doing well. Mary
This is really stunning, Mary: I love what you did to the sky to make it more dramatic, I think it worked out perfectly! I love it!
Thank you Stefano for your very kind comments on the painting. The sky took a long time, about 12 hours, primarily because I was able to get so many wonderful layers of OP on it that it just became a fascinating experiment. Thanks so much!!
goodness, amiga! i totally understand why you’ve focused on this and not WP! amazing work. i’d love to see this stunning image in person! z
Hi Z! Thank you so much. My oil pastels were kind to me on this piece – we got along fabulously!! Appreciate your wonderful comment, thanks ~ Mary
isn’t it great when everything falls into place without even trying? it truly was a lovely painting (is a lovely painting!)
It’s looks like real one!!! That’s really a fantastic work!!!
Thank you so much Rexlin, this was a wonderful piece to work on. Glad you like it!
So beautiful and full of power and energy!
Great work , Mary ❤
xxx
Thank you Violet, it’s wonderful to hear from you – appreciate receiving your kind comments!
I love the painting and I really appreciated the peak you gave into the creative process. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Charlie, thank you for commenting. There was a lot of talk about with this particular painting, but thought everyone would get the idea the piece really morphed into a whole different painting by time it was done. Glad you liked it!
Your missing from the blogsphere was time very well spent Mary. What a difference this painting is from the test one you showed us previously. With the light shining from the heavens, to the thundering power of the waves hitting the age old rocks on terra firma. Such strength and power this painting has. Love it Mary!
Hi Emily, thank you so much – I really appreciate receiving your wonderful comments. I was really challenged by this piece, because I had a direction in mind for it – but darn if it had a mind of its own. I spent a good deal of time reading and practicing with small studies to get some of the details down. There’s a another whole story behind this piece, but for now thank you so much!!
The sky truly is dramatic! So I have a question…how do you KNOW when a painting is done?
Hi Ogee, thank you for your generous comment! It means a lot. For me it’s hard to tell – because when I leave the studio and come back there is always something re-directing my attention on a painting that I’m working on and that means I’ll usually see something that wasn’t there before. Like on rocks or waves, patterns will begin to emerge that I didn’t see before which tells me I have to go back in and play around some more. With an oil pastel painting sometimes I’ll know I’m done because there’s no more tooth to use for layering the OPs and then the surface becomes a slippery mess and no more paint can go on. Finally sometimes it’s just a feeling I get and I’ll know it’s time to call it a day. But you know what? I still go back in and make changes to paintings I finished a year ago – so that’s a great question!!!
Better frame them fast, then! Or your work will never be done 🙂