When I first looked at the reference photo for this painting, I was intrigued by the surreal way the figure seemed to be floating in space. With the shadow above and shadow beneath, the float and figure are emphasized while at the same time contrasted, as the eye is made to move between them all.
At first, I struggled to understand how to make the shadow underneath contain the textural qualities above the water’s surface without making look like the surface. Water is transparent, and the way light and color behave within it and on it’s surface are very different. Stepping back to study the image, along with trial and error helped me figure this one out.
The simplicity of the limited color palette, shapes and subject matter all work to bring attention to the cool way the eye is made to second-guess this scene.
Pink Float: Swimmers Series 6:30x40” oil on 2” gallery wrapped canvas