Chemical Beach

Values, recession, chroma all nagging away in the back of my mind, I decided to return to a spot I painted a couple of weeks ago. This is an interesting beach, named after an adjacent chemical works that existed in the early part of the last century. The headland beyond has a number of facets not visible and collectively they are known as Noses Point. Whilst these beaches have long been frequented by sea anglers they have been cleaned up in recent years and are becoming popular spots for locals to walk along newly created cliff top paths. A coast that was despoiled by various industries, particularly the coal industry, is being returned to a more natural state. One of the few benefits to the area of the demise of the main source of employment.

The painting was attacked with an expanded palette. Ultramarine replaced Indathrone Blue and Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Lemon were added to Naples Yellow, Venetian Red and Titanium White. Hopefully, increased chroma in the foreground has created a greater illusion of recession and a little more interest. Maybe another step along the way has occurred.

Chemical Beach - Oil on canvas board 12" x 10"

Pushing Chroma with limited palette

This week has been given over to reflection on my attempts to use and extremely limited palette as outlined in previous posts. Two comments by other artists got me thinking as to how I might improve my technique. They related to recession and intensity of chroma. This piece was done as a study to attempt to address those issues.

I decided to continue working with a limited palette and 'mud', but changed the palette colours. For this painting the palette was made up of Indanthrone Blue, Naples Yellow and Venetian Red with Titanium White. I selected these colours as they have greater chroma potential than the previous choice. My thinking as I look at this piece is that I have made a little progress. There is greater recession in this picture than in the last couple and there is greater evidence of chroma in the foreground. I'm still unsure about the production of colour for foreground highlight as pure colour often does not appear to produce the necessary value shift without addition of white. It seems to me that the answer to this might lie in adjusting the palette selection till there is a balance between choice for colour intensity and value. Colour choice where hues are adjacent to one another is another area for experimentation.

Subject is a favourite spot in the West of Ireland at the end of the Dingle peninsula. The source is a holiday photograph of mine.



Coumeenoole - Oil on canvas board 12" x 10"