"Path to the Beach"
watercolor 22 x 30 inches
Leftovers . . . . .Yep. That is what this painting is. It was still a "start" when I left from the Monterey area last week. Today it is finished!
Oh! Did I mention that it really does have all this color in that locale? There is a fairly new California State Park near where I was staying; Fort Ord Dunes, State Park. This is the outer edge of the old, decommissioned Fort Ord. This locale was the spot where the soldiers club once stood overlooking the Monterey Bay and Pacific Ocean. In fact, I was stationed at this place when I was a young man of 19, serving my military obligation. I cannot remember it ever being this spectacularly beautiful.
Painting this subject brings interesting challenges in color design. If you know much about color compliments, such as red and green, when they come together they neutralize each other and make browns and grays . . .even black! So, the watercolor painter must resort to all sorts of different approaches and tricks to get this sort of color intensity to occur. That said, I think I would have stood on my head to try to make it happen. To see such a scene is beyond what the mind can imagine.
As for the title of this article, "Leftovers," the word conjures up ideas of old food for a meal which has been left over from a previous meal. And, certainly, not very appetizing to many people. I could not resist the title, however. It fits my sense of humor!
Some leftovers, eh?!
Until next painting . . . .
