Turkey Point ~ Painting from Inspiration to Completion
I Was Inspired To Paint This Piece ..
after seeing a few posted pictures from a friend of mine, Ron. Ron and his family were enjoying a beautiful day on the Egg Island Glades Padding Trails at Turkey Point Rd. in New Jersey. Unknowing to him I was immediately inspired by a few of the photos. Right away I am formulating an idea for a new painting, and I was almost certain that I would be calling it 'Turkey Point'.
As I Have Stated In Previous Blog Posts ..
I do not like to copy an image to the canvas..or coarse paper in this case. I much rather enjoy taking an idea, hints, colors, and bits and pieces for my inspiration. I like to let the painting evolve and go where it wants to. I feel if I were try to duplicate an image, I may be disappointed in the finished product. I'm not opposed to it, just rather not do it right now.
Here We Have ..
My gathered inspiration from my friend Ron's Facebook Post.. Thanks Ron!!, and my final creation.
A Little Bit About My Inspiration ..
Why reinvent the wheel here. I gathered this little clip below from visitnj.org's website
Egg Island Wildlife Management Area / Turkey Point Natural Viewing Area is a vast, windswept salt marsh that's dotted with hummocks of cedar trees, bayberry bushes, sumac and common reeds. Numerous tidal creeks await the explorer, crabber and angler. There is a large pond in the middle of the tract, which wintering waterfowl find attractive. A foot bridge and observation platform connect the parking area and walking trails in the marsh. Watch for marsh wrens, seaside sparrows, northern harriers, gulls, egrets and herons. In midsummer, be prepared for biting deer flies and green-head flies. The area offers excellent birding. Summer brings herons and egrets, glossy lbis, willet and clapper rail. Fall and spring bring waterfowl and shorebirds and winter brings snow geese, bald eagles and rough-legged hawks.
This natural wetland area, located at the very south and west side of New Jersey (near the Delaware Bay), falls within the county I currently live in .. Cumberland County. There are so many beautiful areas within driving distance from where I live. So much inspiration at my fingertips. Too much really.
So lets dive right into the progress photos ..
that everyone loves. I combined them to make it a bit easier to follow. There is just something about the marsh areas that lie just inland of the bay or sea, that move me to paint. Yes, I will admit that they may be a bit stinky come summer, due to the plethora of decaying organic matter, but peaceful non the less.
As I always do, I start by choosing my surface, in this case paper. This particular painting will measure 11 inches by 7 inches. I then decide where I want the horizon line to lie. I chose to place it lower on the paper to give the perspective that I am standing farther away from this scene. A little bit at a time I work on each element and each layer. Starting from the sky I work my way downward. I work my way from the back to the front. After all of the layers start coming together and reflecting what was once in my head, I am able to apply the finishing touches. After that there is nothing left to do but add my signature and seal the painting for protection.
Please Enjoy The Progress ..
As For Sealing The Painting ..
I usually go for a gloss or matt finish. I prefer Grumbacher or Windsor Newton aerosol spray due to the ease of application. I do this outside on a day that's not windy and try to keep the small gnats and dust off of it before it dries..sometimes a challenge. I am open to any advise when it comes to sealing paintings. Is there a better way? Please let me know. I notice that the sealer will often enhance the colors after it is applied. I don't mind these slight changes.
'Turkey Point' by B D Miller ~ The Finished Painting ..
I Really Had Fun ..
painting this. I never get exhausted painting these marsh scenes. I want to get started on another, possibly a sunset over the marsh scene. I suppose I better finish the Caribbean Dream painting I've been working on before I start something else.
If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:
This painting [eventually once I upload it] along with other works can be found for sale in my Facebook Shop: https://www.facebook.com/pg/BDMillerGallery/shop
Make me an offer (in SBD) 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!
Amazing, @bdmillergallery :D I love your paintings, and this one is no exception <3 Wonderful post, gorgeous step by step presentation, and the final result is beautiful <3 <3 <3
Love those soft clouds, rising to the skies, and I love the water's surface and the beautiful, wild, tall grasses <3 A lovely piece, to be sure !
Congrats for curie <3
Thank You @veryspider for the sweet compliments. With every piece I paint, I feel like I learn a little something and improve a bit more. If you ever see anything weird that you would like to criticize, please do. I can take it. lol.
Beautiful and tranquil, I like this painting that you created. The big space that you dedicated for the sky is especially nice :).
Congratulations for your curie vote ^_^.
Thanks @scrawly .. I appreciate the compliments. It surely makes me feel good. I have a tendency to make my paintings with a very low horizon line. First because I like painting skies. Second because I am still trying to build my abilities and faith in painting "stuff" into my scenes. I have not yet mastered the ability to place an animal or structure in these open spaces. I always end up disappointed.
You are a very good artist I will follow you
Thank you for the compliment. I am heading over to follow you as well. At first glace I see your self taught (I am too) and I see lots of watercolor paintings! Yippee!! I like watercolors.
I truly like your approach. Not copying the images tells me that you have a very creative mind and you need just one photo for the inspiration and you can create something completely different. Let's say changing the direction of water. It is such a small thing but it does make a huge difference in the final product. Or changing the blue sky into the sky full of clouds. These are the small things that I like.
I like that the sky has such a big piece of your painting. And you highlighted it by playing with those clouds. Very nice. The colors that you used are beautiful. I particularly like the color of the water. Also the sun reflection in the water. It all makes your painting look realistic.
Thank you for sharing this great piece of art with us!
Congratulations on your curie vote!
Your remarks are very kind and very very insightful. It is a rewarding feeling that you noticed all of those things. :-) I still consider myself an armature painter due to the lack of time I devote to painting and creating. Until I retire of have additional lots of free time, I love to do my best with the abilities I do have. I improve a little with every painting.
I never liked trying to copy an image. being inspired is usually enough, although looking at a particular something for reference on details never hurts. When I put my inspiration photo in these posts side by side, I always think that the majority won't get it. They'll think that my painting looks nothing like the original photo. I really appreciate you taking a moment of time to let me know that you get it. Thanks @delishtreats !
Wow what an original and unique way of presenting the process! I've never seen such approach yet and I'm just going thru quite a lot of posts today. Great idea and certainly enjoyed it than :D
But other than that, I'm kinda lost :D gloss or matt finish, Grumbacher or Windsor Newton aerosol spray...You could have just written X, Y, Z and it's be same for me hahaha :D
The final picture is stunning tho! great work, glad you got appreciated :)
Thank you @matkodurko !
I am happy that you appreciated the way I put this together. I am trying to find a way to keep someones interest and get all the basic info in there in an organized way. I'm still playing with it. Sorry about the 'Finish' stuff. I suppose I was speaking to the painters rather than the non-painters. I will work on explaining those things better in the future. Thank you for pointing that out in such a kind way. I appreciate that insight!
Hah it was just a fun fact, not even a critique :) happy sunday!
I appreciate it non the less. Happy Sunday!
Wow I fell in love with his artwork .. !!
You are a true artist, you have made a work of art incredibly beautiful. The way you showed us the step by step was great, congratulations for your curie vote, is well deserved, a big hug @bdmillergallery
Awe..Thank you so much @naideth! This was kind of you to say. Thanks for taking a moment to let me know that you liked my work. It means a lot.
... and thanks for the hug :-) ... big hug to you too.
I looked at the first and last photos first, then those in between. The transformation is pretty cool and I really like the outcome. The view is so serene, I felt like being one with nature just by looking at it.
So what finish type is this, gloss or matt? How long did it take you to finish it?
I love how the water and marsh grass make me feel one with nature too. Thank you for the nice compliments on my work :-)
I see your point..I did leave a few details out, didn't I? I ended up using the matt finish. The gloss sealer always gets sort of blotchy on paper vs canvas or hardboard. Probably because of the type of paper. No clue why really..I just know that it happened to me twice so I avoid the gloss for the paper paintings at least. Over all from cutting the paper to sealing the painting up, I spent about 6 hours.
Thanks for helping me to realize I need more details in my blog. I really do appreciate those kind of comments. Thanks @macoolette!
Huh? I am not sure of what you realized about leaving few details but I am glad if my comment helped you find an improvement opportunity. :) It is just that I am the kind of person who does not care much of what's in between but more on the end-result. That is why I jumped from the start to the finish product. :)
Yey, I was right about the matte finish. That is because the photos are not really glossy. And I would also prefer matte finish on paintings because they are more realistic. Also, you still see the whole picture with matte finish, unlike with glossy that a portion looks so bright because of light reflections. For some reasons, this is my challenge in looking at glossy photos because they beam even on most angles of how I see the photo.
You did great within the 6 hours, I can say! :)
hello @bdmillergallery, The first thing I can notice about your publication is that the technique is very similar to impressionism, and if it is not, it is very similar.
in my country you can find similar places, in my case I am a photographer so I record the landscapes as they are, the only thing that can vary is the sunlight at different times of day, in your case, I love that you do not copy to the canvas the image as such if it is not your imagination that is composing the picture no matter how long it takes, the final result is satisfactory, I make illustrations and make that process, I even refuse to use sketches, I prefer to make a few lines and start transmitting what my mind is.
Excellent, I like it very much. I feel the tropical heat and humidity.
greetings, thank you for sharing
peace and love
Some of my work does resemble impressionism. A sort of mix between impressionism and realism. I am a master of neither but like both styles. Sometimes I try not to add so many details (realism) and yet I end up doing just that. I would prefer to be more of an impressionistic painter.
This is very true for me. I feel such a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I am finished. I also just let my mind fill in the blanks and go where it wants to go. I am always surprised in a nice way. It was hot around the time the picture was taken.. 33/34C or 92-94F.. Yuck and humid too.
I'm glad to succeed in your tastes, although I'm not a painter, one of my artistic parents is, and I grew up between paintings, as I told you currently do digital painting but never can overcome the traces and mixtures of oil.
Well maybe between impressionism and realism you are generating a new technique, that would be interesting to study.
Even the time you painted the painting, the tempering and what kind of light was on the site can determine the temperature of the color.
Excellent picture, I hope to see more of your work.
Greetings dear friend
I absolutely agree. Can’t wait to get started on another on like this.. but yard work is waiting for me. Yippie! Have a great day!
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Thanks for the information. I will most certainly check this out :-)
Hi bdmillergallery,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Sweet! Thank you so much!! I appreciate the support and value what you do. :-)