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| "Flying Saucer" 11 x 14 Acrylic painting by Mark Phillips |
It is finished, the battle is over! And it is not even Good Friday!
A few weeks ago, I was working in St. Philip, the most easterly parish here in Barbados, and I completed my work for the day just after midday. So, as I often do, I decided to take the scenic route home. No plantations and canefields for me. I decided to drive the coastal roads and breath the fresh air straight off the Atlantic ocean. A little longer drive, but well worth it.
After only 5 minutes, I was at Skeete's Bay in the major eastern fishing village of Bayfield. This was a favorite haunt of my childhood days and I had not visited for years. Not much had changed. The fishermen anchored their boats offshore and used smaller boats called "Moses" to bring their catch into the fish market. Moses are open boats 3-6 m in length, propelled either by oars or 10-40 hp outboard engines.
On this day I was lucky to find the "Flying Saucer" hauled onto the beach for repairs. The "Flying Saucer" is a Launch locally known as a Day-boat. These are mostly wooden vessels 6-12 m in
length; propelled by inboard diesel engines from 10-180 hp, used primarily for
harvesting flying fish, mainly the four-winged flying-fish (Hirundichthys affinis) and larger predator fish like dolphin-fish (not Flipper), and barracuda, on day trips.
A few days ago I showed you where I was after about 8 hours work on this painting. I sat down in my studio this morning, turn on my much loved Trinidadian calypso and when I stood up and did my symbolic "dropping of the brush" to indicate that I was happy with the result, 4 hours had passed. I had no idea that I was at it so long. I find more and more that I seem to zone out while I work. I lost all perception of time and hours go by without me realizing it. I just chalk it up to an aging mind that can only do one thing at a time. Ah well, "Que Sera, Sera." I usually leave my paintings for a few days before I sign and varnish them. In the meantime I will upload the image to my website and to my webstore.
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| "Mushroom Rock" 16 x 20 Acrylic painting by Mark Phillips |
In the 2 days between when I showed you the "Almost Finished" and today, I started another piece. By special request and popular demand! I present for the umpteen time and the second time this Year! The ever popular..., the ever beautiful..."Soup Bowl" at Bathsheba, Barbados! This time I am painting it from the South side with the famous "Mushroom Rock" taking centre stage.
This is my first stage layout or as more established artist like to call it, the "block in". This is where we artist rush to get rid of that ever intimidated white canvas. (Personally, I love a clean white canvas, it never bothered me). Again, I did not start with a sketch. I am so familiar with the subject that I just started painting from a photo I had on my cellphone. Sorry about the quality of the image. I left my camera in the car, my studio is upstairs, I am over 50, over-weight, you get the picture. So, I took this with my phone. I was too lazy to even take it off the easel!
I started using my usual palette but I am considering changing the Cerulean Blue that I usually use for the sky to an Ultramarine, Phthalo Blue mix...Maybe. We will see how that goes.
As always, thank you for reading. Until next time when I will again share a little piece of Barbados through the eyes of an artist, please feel free to leave a comment and share this post with your friends. And to make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.
I was asked about the materials that I use. Next time I will share some of that information with you and try to explain my choices. And maybe, just maybe, I will give you a peek at how "Mushroom Rock is progressing.
Mark Phillips
Artist
Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:- www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore
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