Painting of the Week

Rays of Serenity – Painting of the Week

Breaking through Shapes

Breaking through Shapes

Driving over the mountains at sunset can be amazing. This scene was from the road heading to Fallbrook, California last spring from Coachella Valley. The hair-pin bends of a mountain road made me tense driving and I wanted to get off the road before dark. Beautiful views teased me, but I only stopped to photograph these Rays of Serenity. Taking artistic privilege, the purples in this near sunset scene are exaggerated.

This painting took many hours to create and several times I quit, thinking it was over. After building up the mountains, lifting the rays made everything look pretty rough.  Studying Gouache paid off. The issue was quite logical; light enhances color but the rays were almost white. I decided to try Gouache. So, in a most unusual way, I thinned down this opaque media making it semi-transparent and glazed over some of the rays. Amazingly, it did not dull the color.

Sincerely,

ejdSignature 1

CHECK OUT MY FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER  | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM | BLOG

______________________

Learn more about Gouache!

The Beauty of Gouache

Beginning Gouache Class

October 24-26 | 10:00am– 3:30pm

HIA-Hospice Community Room South Entrance
3800 56th Avenue S Fargo, ND 58104

Gouache is one of the oldest painting mediums in the world and has been trusted for Centuries. As with any medium, there are tricks to understand that make working with Gouache easier. We will go over and practice these skills during the workshop and make a painting or two!

*Sign up today as my early bird special of $25.00 off expires on 10/11/25

LEARN MORE

______________________

Sign up for Ellen’s Painting of the Week and be the first to see her Original Work, Painting Tips & Events:

* indicates required