Path to the Beach

'Beach Therapy' 18x24 pastel

Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war.

-Loren Eiseley

I seem to be in a beach painting mood this week for some reason! I don't usually paint large but I had some time last night so I took out one of the few big pieces of Art Spectrum paper I have left in my stash and did this beach path. I did a simple underpainting with nupastels...sprayed it with water and spread the pastels with a sponge brush. The idea was so cover the paper so I wouldn't have to use too many layers of my soft pastels....so I left a lot of the underpainting showing through. I discovered that this method works great on this paper and I think I like it again!!!