From Inspiration To Creation

My journey from Sailing in Bloody Bay, Negril Jamaica, to creating my latest oil painting called ‘Caribbean Soul’.

First The Inspiration ..

It Happens To Be Sunday Morning ..

I am in my certainly typical location of the office chair, nuzzled up next to the comp-u-tator (computer) located in my office and studio. As I start typing away at this blog post I am wondering why I sometimes find myself again and again attracted to the subject of Caribbean life. I would imagine most of it stems from wanting to return to the many happy times in my blessed life, where I traveled to these warm and inviting tropical locations. I can also tell you, some of inspiration I gather in order to paint these scenes is blamed upon the fact that I KNOW that I was born in and now live in the wrong location.. Hehe. That's life I suppose. I am willing to switch places if you live in the Caribbean and are wanting your time in the freezer.

So, Lets Just Say ..

For the sake of this post, that I was in fact born in the correct area of the world and that my inspiration for painting such tropical based pieces is derived solely from my trips to Caribbean locations. That being said, let me start by explaining to you that my wife and I took a trip to Jamaica a few short years back.. Oh how time flies. We stayed at Couples Resort in Negril. If you happened to read any of my past posts, you may remember me mentioning this place; so beautiful and relaxing while boasting some of the best sunsets on the island! The resort, like so many others, offer free non-motorized water activities. Neither one of us ever operated or spent much time on a sailboat, so this looked like the most adventurous thing for us to do.

We’re Are Sailing!!

After a very short lesson, they strapped us into some life vests and sent us out into the great unknown and uncharted waters of Bloody Bay. Okay, so that may be stretching the truth, but I recall the unsettled feeling of forgetting almost everything the instructor said just before he shoved us off and waved bon voyage. I vividly remember thinking, “Oh crap. What did I just get myself into.” Well, all went well and I am here to talk about it today. Win Win! Something off of the bucket list too!

The Sail Boats .. (not us in the picture..some other nice couple with the same amount of sailing knowledge)

The Captain .. (Me)

The First Mate .. (My Wife)

The Uncharted Waters Of Bloody Bay, Negril Jamaica ..

Now For My Painting, ‘Caribbean Soul’ ..

Now that you know where I got some of the inspiration for this piece, let's get down to it.

The Basics ..

Oil Painting on Watercolor Paper
Caribbean tropical realism
Measures Roughly 7 inches by 11 inches
Approximately 10 hours invested
Fixative not applied yet.. soon though. Needs to dry a little more

The Tools ..

My fingers
One or two paint brushes
A straight edge
Pencil
Oil Paint; Phthalo Blue, Titanium White, Viridian Hue, French Ultramarine, Dioxazine Purple, and Permanent Rose.
Linseed Oil (for thinning and blending)
Rags
Fixative (Sealer)

The Tools and My Messy Palette ..

The Process ..

The process and progression of this piece, is not much different from how I normally approach a project like this. I start out by lying a straight edge across the paper and strike a horizon line in the location I think is best. I prefer a low horizon line. This is a trait that consistently runs throughout most of my pieces. My painting technique is much more relaxed if I keep that horizon low on the surface; typically found in the bottom ⅓ to ¼ of the scene. The following pictures will give you a solid understanding of how my creation progressed from striking the horizon line to the initial application of oil paint.

A Further Glimpse Into The Process ..

All of the base parts of the painting were applied using my finger. It’s a small painting with minimal subject matter, so this is an easy and comfortable way for me to apply the basic parts of the sky and water. I switched to a few small brushes in order to apply some of the finer details, including the breaking water, the sailboat, and the wispy clouds.

In Conclusion ..

Now that I am finished and waiting for the piece to fully dry so I can apply fixative, I realize that I am feeling SUPER satisfied with how well ‘Caribbean Soul’ turned out. I had very few moments of doubt or frustration, and am feeling ready for another vacation to Jamaica. So I would consider this one a personal success! It should be ready to go up for sale in a few weeks, so keep it in mind if you're in the market for a small Caribbean themed oil painting :-)

‘Caribbean Soul’ ..

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If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

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If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.