Reporting in from Algarve, Portugal
The workshop’s just ended here. Its been a great time. Busy every day painting with an excellent group of people from all over. This was our longest workshop to date – and I quite enjoyed getting to know everyone. You break the ice after a few days, and can really start to learn from each other.
Here’s a few temporary pics from the field. More news on the trip soon. Update: Replaced terrible phone pics with real scans :) Here’s a longer post with all the seaside sketches.
My favorite location (so far) in this area: Prainha Beach, Algarve.
This was actually an embarrassing moment. As soon as I saw the waves I was thinking – OMG I have no idea how to paint these. What was I thinking coming here!
We all did our best learning to do it on the spot.
And that is really the main point anyway isn’t it? No matter what you read and study, you only learn to paint by practice:)
~m
Citizen Sketcher 
I so much agree with you! Practice is the key… and many mistakes are done along the way! And I think that what you have created is really good by the way!
Marc. I love your waves! Very fluid.
Marc !
It’s absolutely beautiful !
The different colours of the sea, the cliffs.
And the waves… We can hear the sound of the clashing on the rocks !
Great !
Absolutely beautiful!
That’s funny. When I glanced at your sketches before reading the post, my first thought was
“man, he really know how to paint those waves!” :D
Honestly – I think one paints everything the exact same way :) Silhouette and Subdivide. Large to small, light to dark. It’s a mantra.
But I was wishing I had some magic words for students that made waves easy. We’re not used to moving subjects in the landscape!
I agree! practice….practice! I think you did a wonderful job on those waves. Plein air often grabs you by the throat and you think you are not doing the scene justice or the fear comes rolling in, I think it is like being on a roller coaster ride and it brings up all kinds of feelings. :D
Wow – I am looking at the sea – beautiful and I can feel the rhythm of the waves 😀
Awesome – wish I’d been there!
A perfect combination of experience and ‘let the watercolor do what it wants to do’.
Astonishing beautiful paintings, Marc.
No doubt about it. Your sketches/paintings will draw me there way before the photos! For the sea, which blues did you use? A Thalo green in there?
Thanks Susan :) Re: the blues – MG turquoise. Viridian Green and Nickel Titanate Yellow :)
Painting the sea may have been a new direction but as the pro you are, you lead us all. It was an amazing workshop with great painters who became better with your encouragement. New friendships, new colours to try, all exciting. I look forward to India in 2017.
http://i0.poll.fm/js/rating/rating.js
Very nice paintings, Marc…even without knowledge of how to paint waves you have the knowledge and painting experience to deal with them. I saw a video by Jason Skill on how he does waves using blotter paper and they are amazing. Worth googling.