Sun on the Cliffs at Torrey Pines

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Sarah Sullivan
Painting of Sunlight on the Cliffs at Torrey Pines by Sarah Sullivan

Sunlight on the Cliffs at Torrey Pines

I went back again to Torrey Pines and painted the same scene as I did three other times in the past week. I feel like I was able to integrate what I learned about the shape of the cliffs, the way the cliffs relate to the beach and the water, and the color. I am still thinking about some of the parts. I may darken the shore along the lower left side and smooth out some of the clouds in the upper center of the sky.

This is a 17 X 12- inch painting on black paper. I used acrylic, gouache, and watercolor.

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Seascape

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Sarah Sullivan
Painting by Sarah Sullivan of a Seascape

Seascape

I often tell myself that I will use my sketches as a basis for a painting. But I don’t do it because making decisions about a painting when I can’t see the subject directly is tough.

Today I took the sketches from 3/20 and 3/21 and, on a much larger sheet of paper, painted this seascape. I liked the cliffs from 3/20 and the shore from 3/21 and wondered about combining the two parts.

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Student Voices

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch by Sarah Sullivan of the March for Our Lives

Student Voices

How is it that students can express simple truths while we older folk get it all muddled up?

I was at the San Diego March for Our Lives this morning, listening and learning. Here are some of the simple truths that I read and heard:

  • Schools are for learning, not for lockdowns.
  • Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
  • Black lives matter.
  • Fear has no place at school.
  • 18th-century laws don’t work for 21st- century assault weapons.
  • Am I next?
  • Vote them out.
  • I am a girl, I have less rights than a gun.
  • Mental illness is universal, mass shootings are American.
  • Never again.
  • I’m not bulletproof.
  • Thoughts, prayers, action.
  • Disarm hate.
  • Will I live to vote?
  • Protect kids, not guns.
  • I deserve better.
  • We demand effective gun control.
  • Help students, not the NRA.
  • March, discuss, vote.
  • Student lives matter.

 

 

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Figure in Acrylic and Gouache

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch by Sarah Sullivan of an Acrylic and Gouache Figure

Acrylic and Gouache Figure

I continued today with using an underpainting of acrylic together with a top coat of gouache. I did a series of 20- minute sketches, and this is the final one. I had some trouble selecting a workable thickness for the acrylic undercoating. It has to be visible enough to show through, like the yellow along the edges of the figure’s nose, but not so thick that the gouache does not adhere to it, like over the left side of the figure.

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Second March Morning at Torrey Pines

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch by Sarah Sullivan of a Second March Morning at Torrey Pines

Second March Morning at Torrey Pines

I painted some 30-feet away from the same spot as I did yesterday and I painted on a rectangular white watercolor board. Again, I used an underpainting of acrylic and then overpainted with watercolor and gouache. This sketch has a more spacious feel but yesterday’s had more dramatic cliffs.

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Torrey Pines on a March Morning

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch by Sarah Sullivan of Torrey Pines on a March Morning

Torrey Pines on a March Morning

Last week I took a 30- hour workshop from Stephen Quiller and learned to use an acrylic underpainting on white paper before applying gouache.

Today was my first opportunity to get out and try this technique on black paper. I like what I did but see that I could have used stronger colors. Tomorrow I will head back and see what else I can learn about adapting this technique to black paper.

This is an acrylic and gouache sketch on a 12 X 12- inch sheet of heavy black paper.

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Confined

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch by Sarah Sullivan of a young woman

Confined

 

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