Beach Adirondack Chairs Painting, Watercolor Art Print

Beach Adirondack Chairs

Barbara Rosenzweig

Watercolor Painting

 

Where do you find the best place to relax? My spot is on the beach! Here, colorful chairs look out to the ocean to create a relaxing, peaceful seashore spot for you to dream.

 

To give you a bit of insight into my painting process for this one, here are a few of the stages this new watercolor went through. Early on, I decided to have four colorful Adirondack chairs looking out at the beach and ocean. I roughed in where I wanted the clouds and chairs.

 

 

Next, I started to add vegetation and darken the backs of the chairs and shadows under them. This is a much longer process than you see here. My purpose is to give depth and drama to the painting.

 

 

 

Creating dramatic clouds turned out to be the most difficult part of this painting. I didn't want them to look like a big white blob, but wanted them to be light and airy, letting a cobalt blue sky shine through. At this point, though, it still wasn't right. The blue was too deep in spots. I also added low and tall grasses in the foreground for depth and further darkened the backs of the Adirondack chairs. 

 

 

Finally, I lightened the blue in the clouds and blended more of the clouds to give a softer effect, as well as added a third tall grass on the right.

 

Beach Adirondack Chairs

Barbara Rosenzweig

Watercolor Painting

 

I'd love your opinion on my new watercolor painting!

 

Linked to Watercolors by Barbara Etsy Shop, Watercolors By Barbara Website, Fine Art America, Make it Pretty Monday, IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, BoogieboardCottage, Alphabe-Thursday, Join the Party {Linky}  Fall into Fall, and Pink Saturday, Five Days Five Ways, Friday Favs, Fancy These Friday’s, Friday Link Party, Saturday Show & Tell, The DIY'ers, Anything Blue & Pink Friday

 

 

 

 

Autumn Leaves Watercolor Painting Process

I guess that I just couldn't get enough of the leaves! As you can see, there were lots of leaves to choose from. I took a number of photos, two of which I included here.

 

From the photos, I sketched in the leaves and then added my watercolors, making sure to vary the tones within each. This is just the first “layer” of color. Since this is a painting, I am not necessarily tied to the actual colors or positions of the leaves in the photos. For this particular painting, I decided that the composition looked better turned upside-down! The large yellow shape at top felt “heavy.”

 

 

Once that decision was made, I added other leaves where they were needed.

 

A second major change was to “delete” the green leaf in the center. It was way too distracting, so I lightened as much color as I could by “lifting” it with a brush, water, and blotter. Then I added another leaf over part of the former green blob. I have to constantly keep in mind the shapes of the “negative spaces” between the leaves for when I add the background.

 

Next, I decided to feature the leaves on still-green grass. I intended to show bits of twigs as I had in my previous smaller painting. But for this one, I felt that they were too distracting with so many more leaves in this painting.

  

 

Finally, I completed the background by adding a few layers of greens and blues to give it depth. You can see by comparing these last two photos that I’ve painted over many of the distracting twigs. Now your eyes can focus on the beauty, textures, and colors of Autumn Leaves! Enjoy!

“Autumn Leaves II”

© 2013 Barbara Rosenzweig, Watercolor Painting

11x14 matted to 16x20 $52
8x10 matted to 11x14 $37
sold matted for standard size frames

 

Linked to Watercolors by Barbara Etsy Shop, Watercolors By Barbara Website, Fine Art America, Make it Pretty Monday, IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, BoogieboardCottage, Alphabe-Thursday, Join the Party {Linky}  Fall into Fall, and Pink Saturday, Five Days Five Ways, Friday Favs, Fancy These Friday’s, Friday Link Party, Saturday Show & Tell, The DIY'ers, Anything Blue & Pink Friday

Autumn Leaves Watercolor Painting Art

 Autumn Leaves

© 2013 Barbara Rosenzweig, Watercolor Painting

11x14 matted to 16x20 $52
8x10 matted to 11x14 $37
sold matted for standard size frames 

 

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY! I just couldn't help myself! The earlier leaf painting below looked good, but not great. I went back and made the background a richer mingling of blues and greens to make the leaves "pop!" Was this an improvement? ...or am I the only one who sees this? 

Autumn Leaves

© 2013 Barbara Rosenzweig, Watercolor Painting

11x14 matted to 16x20 $52
8x10 matted to 11x14 $37
sold matted for standard size frames 

 

The colors and shapes seem endless as I look at the leaves that have fallen from my trees this autumn! I love the curled edges, the great shapes of the holes, and the patterns of one leave on another!

 

My new painting is a tribute to this glorious time of year!

 

Linked to Watercolors by Barbara Etsy Shop, Watercolors By Barbara Website, Fine Art America, Make it Pretty Monday, IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, BoogieboardCottage, Alphabe-Thursday, Join the Party {Linky}  Fall into Fall, and Pink Saturday, Five Days Five Ways, Friday Favs, Fancy These Friday’s, Friday Link Party, Saturday Show & Tell, The DIY'ers, Anything Blue & Pink Friday

Tropical Beach Paradise Tiki Resort Painting

Tiki Sunset

© 2013 Barbara Rosenzweig

Original Watercolor Painting

8x10 $190

I have to say, I love being at the shore! I can't seem to get enough of it - whether it's walking the beach, watching children play there, listening to the sound of the relentless surf, observing the wildlife, being mesmerized by fantastic sunsets, or feeling a wonderful sense of calm descend on me every time I'm there.

 

This latest beach painting is of a little Tiki bar located right on the beach. I was fascinated by the wonderful silhouette shapes created by the palm thatching of the Tiki umbrellas, the chair rungs, and the rocks. My goal, which I know is unattainable, was to capture the feel and look of the glowing sun as it was about to set.

 

What are your favorite beach memories?

 

Linked to Watercolors by Barbara Etsy Shop, Watercolors By Barbara Website, Fine Art America, IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, BoogieboardCottage, Alphabe-Thursday, Join the Party {Linky}  Fall into Fall, and Pink Saturday, Five Days Five Ways, Friday Favs, Fancy These Friday’s, Friday Link Party, Saturday Show & Tell, The DIY'ers