PLAY IN PROGRESS

Here are some progress shots of the painting that I'm currently playing on (I don't call it "work in progress" because it's too much fun to create). The most recent shots are at the beginning, so just scroll to see how the painting came together. Click on the image to see a larger version.

SECRETS OF THE SEA CAVE

I've painted a lot of boats inside bottles over the years, and a long while back, it occurred to me that it would be neat to paint a shipwreck inside a bootle that was filled with water. The only thing I couldn't decide upon was what kind of background to use. That question was answered in the summer of 2024 when I visited "The Ovens" in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, a place famous for its gorgeous underwater caves. One such cave is accessed by a set of steps carved into the rocks themselves. It was perfect for the Pirate theme I was going for! I immediately composed the scene roughly - the idea being that the bottle would be seated on a chest with the cave opening and the stone staircase visible in the background. When I shared this idea online, someone suggested that I should include an octopus and I thought it was a fabulous idea, especially if I could have the tentacles visible wrapped around the bottle and distorted by the water. I nicknamed the Octopus "Otta". This is her biography...

Sept 4, 2024

After some consideration, I've decided that I will title this painting with a name right out of a Hardy Boy Mystery:
"Secrets of the Sea Cave"

Click through to see the progress pictures of this painting coming together...

Sept 1, 2024

We're so close now!
Those little strips of white are the only sections in Otta's painting that need to be finished!
Full disclosure: I didn't know exactly how I was going to fill this area until yesterday. The source pictures of the cave mouth and the stairs were taken from slightly different angles and I didn't have a good image to help me figure out how they should join up. There also railings and support beams in the way. Luckily, when I was at The Ovens sea caves yesterday, I was able to photograph the area from a good angle, and I've interpreted it here. I still have to play with colours and shadows to make it work the way I want it to.

Aug 30, 2024

Oh look, ANOTHER progress shot of Otta's Hideaway (oh wow, did I just come up with a title?) even though I said I wasn't going to be posting any more but, to be fair, it doesn't show the whole painting, so it still maintains the mystery. I just love the way the stone stairs are turning out, so I had to share.
There is actually still a fair amount of painting to do. There are a couple of white spaces left, and then I have to adjust some overall details, balance some colours, and add shome shadows. Also, I'm still not totally happy with the shipwreck in the bottle, but don't know what to do to fix it.
Ah well. That's a challenge for another day!

Aug 27, 2024

Oh look, an unexpected progress shot of my latest painting!
I just wanted to show how the stone stairway was developing. It's a slow process because there are a lot of rocks, and I'm taking my time making sure I get the scale right as well as making them look like they're wet and slippery.
It's also one of my favourite parts of a painting's development: when the background starts to take shape around the foreground object, giving it more dimension and depth (especially when bottles are concerned because, with darkness behind the bottle now, you can really see the white edge).
There's also a lot more colour on the rocks in this area of the cave, making it look even more like a bejeweled pirate's hideout!

Aug 15, 2024

... and we have ourselves a sea cave!
This will likely be the last progress shot I post since I'm so close to being finished! I just have the stone staircase to paint, before I go through the entire painting and add the finishing touches (which includes, but is not limited to, putting detail into the rocks, making Otta's colouring consistent, and enhancing the shadows). I also really have to find a way to make the shipwreck inside the bottle stand out a little more, something I don't want to attempt until the dark background is fully finished, since that alone will (hopefully) make the bottle stand out more.
I'll post a high-quality scan once it's done!

Aug 10, 2024

It rained most of today, so I brought my easel inside from the gazebo and set it up in the living room so I could be close to everyone who were kind enough to let me spend the bulk of the day painting!
It was a very productive day, and I was able to get the cave ceiling started and fill in the ripples in the water around Otta's head.
I'm loving how it's adding depth to the painting and beginning to fufill my goal of getting the background dark enough to help the lighter bottle stand out more.

July 18, 2024

I've finished the foreground of my painting-in-progress!
Well, more or less.
The background will be mostly dark. I want the shipwreck in the bottle to stand out more, but don't want to play with it too much until I see how it contrasts with the rocks behind it.
I've apparently hidden a minion in the painting inadvertently (just beneath the neck of the bottle, it looks like one is peeking over the edge of the chest). I may have to adjust that if it distracts me too much!

July 17, 2024

This morning, I sketched in all of the strips of wood that made up the chest's lid and applied a background wash to them. Then I noticed that I'd messed up the scale and made the strips way too thin.
For reference, the metal bands are, in reality, about two inches wide and the bottle measures ten.
So I set about widening the portion of wood that I had painted last night, and feel much better about the results.

July 16, 2024

I've begun painting the metal bands on the strongbox in my latest composition. I wouldn't even say I'm using watercolours to do it, since, to bring out the texture of the paper, I'm barely using any water. In fact, you might say that I'm painting with "moistcolours."
Badum-tish.
Anyhoo, this will require multiple layers with multiple colours to achieve the weathered metal look I want. I'm also using an old brush since I'm not being all that gentle with it.

July 8, 2024

Otta is now firmly embracing the bottle!

More shading and shadows to follow, but I want to fill on more of the surroundings first.
One thing I like about the creative process is leaving it open enough to make changes on the fly. I have to change the small penciled-in tentacle under the front of the bottle since it has to be thicker, and I've decided to have it coiled around an ancient mariner's compass sitting on the chest directly beneath the cork area of the bottle.

July 4, 2024

One of the challenges of painting a subject like this is to make sure the skin grooves are consistent and not haphazard. This is especially important in areas where the tentacles come together, and the direction of pull overlap.
I still have to go back afterwards and add some more detail as well as add some more shading for depth. Also, now that I've got a real feel for how it's done, I'll have to go back to the first tentacle I painted and make some adjustments to keep it consistent

June 28, 2024

I've been so busy with field trips and other errands over the last few weeks during the part of the day that would normally be my creative time, that I haven't had much of a chance to paint! Also, I didn't want to post another progress shot until the bottle, and the shipwreck within, were done.
Well, they're mostly done. I may have to adjust shadows and contours once the surroundings are filled in.

WHARFSIDE REFLECTIONS

This painting is based on a picture of a foggy Nova Scotian fishing wharf that I took on Canada day 2023. The title is a nod to my previous painting "Dockside Reflections" because the theme is so similar: namely, that the dock in the foreground is reflected in the water and the background fades away in the mist.

LIGHTING IN A BOTTLE

I've been very much enjoying painting boats inside bottles over the last few years, so I'm going to shake things up and paint a lighthouse inside the bottle this time! The fabulous background is from a trip to Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy.

VOYAGEUR SPIRITS

We're joining this show already in progress! I've been doing a lousy job keeping this page up to date so here's a current progress image of my latest boat in a bottle painting, this time a voyageur canoe with passengers against the background of Burleigh Falls.

SNOWY OWL

Just as I was thinking about getting back into painting, a friend of mine posted an awesome picture of a snowy owl online, and I was inspired! This will be a big painting (30" by 22"), and will depict a rural agricultural scene with lots of split-rail fences!

Dwayne R. James

Watercolourist & Writer

Play in Progress

SECRETS OF THE SEA CAVE

WHARFSIDE REFLECTIONS

LIGHTING IN A BOTTLE

VOYAGEUR SPIRITS

SNOWY OWL

FISHING BOAT IN A BOTTLE
IN FRONT OF THE ROCHER PERCE, GASPESIE.

BUY

INFORMATION

MORE

Dwayne R. James

Watercolourist & Writer

Play in Progress

SECRETS OF THE SEA CAVE

WHARFSIDE REFLECTIONS

LIGHTING IN A BOTTLE

VOYAGEUR SPIRITS

SNOWY OWL

FISHING BOAT IN A BOTTLE IN FRONT OF THE ROCHER PERCE, GASPESIE.

BUY

INFORMATION

MORE

FISHING BOAT IN A BOTTLE
IN FRONT OF THE ROCHER PERCE, GASPESIE.