San Diego Bay Sailing

This week I’m sharing a print I just finished. It’s based on a capture I took a few years ago. It’s a sailboat on San Diego Bay with downtown San Diego as the back drop. The point of view of the scene is looking across the bay from Coronado Island towards the downtown skyline. With this print, I used the original photo and did a Photoshop “abstract” creation. Using those two as a guide, I digitally painted this final print. I liked subduing the buildings for the background to have the sailboat stand front and center. I also took the liberty of creating abstract foliage for the majority of the coastline at the base of the buildings so as to not have to put in detail actually found there (such as the USS Midway floating museum). I kept to a linear abstract approach keeping clean lines where needed creating the various shapes.

San Diego Bay Sailing

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Sailing San Diego Bay

Last weeks post of the Oregon Coastline invoked a sense of serenity and in keeping with that theme, this week I am posting two captures of sailboats on San Diego Bay. These scenes are clearly different than last weeks, but invoke the same sense of serenity to me. I can just feel the peacefulness as the boats slip through the water with a gentle ocean breeze caressing my face.

Sailing In San Diego Bay

This first capture was taken from Seaport Village just south of downtown looking across the bay to Coronado Island.

The second capture is reversed if you will. This capture was taken from Coronado Island looking back at downtown San Diego.

Sailing San Diego Bay Skyline

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Lighting Changes – Sailboats on San Diego Bay

I wanted to share some captures I took of sailboats on San Diego Bay last October. What the pictures show is a change in look of the same subject matter in the same location by the lighting in the sky.

These pictures were all taken from an area near downtown looking across the bay at Coronado Island. There is always some type of craft movement in the bay be it small sailboats, larger yachts, military air carriers or cruise ships. This particular day I was focused on sailboats and the sky. I noticed the cloud structures were changing as the day went from morning to afternoon. There was a remnant of a tropical storm coming from the Baja of Mexico just south of San Diego.

San Diego Bay Sailboat

In this first capture, the sun is out and the fluffy clouds from that system make a great backdrop.

San Diego Bay Sailboats 2

This shot was taken within about an hour of the first one. The sun is still out, but notice the change in the clouds. There is a high level of gray coming in on top of the fluffy clouds.

San Diego Bay Sailboats 3

I added this shot for a couple of reasons. The first reason was I love the look of this restaurant sitting on peers jutting out into the bay and the second reason is because at this point it was lunch time. I want to point out that this shot was taken very shortly after the last shot and notice the change in color of the bay. The sun was beginning to go under the approaching high level clouds…see the difference .

In the time I took for lunch and came back to capturing some sailboats, the last capture is what I took.

San Diego Bay Sailboats 4

Same area as the first shots, but see the difference in the color of the bay? It goes from a deep blue to more of a gray color. Even in the sails, the brilliant white of the sails is subdued. I thought this would be a great example of how important lighting is to the final outcome of a picture when shooting outdoors. There are subject matters that look better in indirect lighting and some landscapes look better with horizontal lighting (sunrise or sunset timeframes).

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Sketched Scenes from Sailing the Islands in the Pacific Northwest

I have attached two sketched scenes I created from a trip we took a few years ago to Henry Island in the Pacific Northwest. We were staying with our daughter and her husband in Seattle and were headed to Henry Island where our son-in-law’s family had a couple of homes. To get to Henry Island, we took a ferry from Anacortes, Washington to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We then drove across the island to Roche Harbor where their was a family boat docked for the final leg of the journey over to Henry Island.

The first art print represents the scene I saw as we came into Friday Harbor, which is on San Juan Island. The second art print was a sailboat I saw as we headed back going by Lopez island. It was a beautiful day for sailing.

Friday Harbor Sketched

Sailing In The Pacific Northwest

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The Masts Have It – Featured Art Prints

Here in the United States, we celebrate Memorial Day the last weekend in May. It is a national holiday to honor our fallen soldiers. Since it is a three-day weekend, it also has become the unofficial beginning of summer and summer activities. As we honor our fallen, we also celebrate life with family and friends and for many parts of the country it is a time to finally get out and celebrate sunshine and outdoor activities. I was fortunate enough to be in New England a few years back at this time of the year.  I can’t help but think of the scene I have featured here when I think of this three-day weekend. Boating, fishing and enjoying the great outdoors.

I created these two prints using an abstract watercolor technique. This particular technique creates sharp lines and shapes. With the detail of the masts, I wanted to keep them and the harbor as the focal point. What you are seeing is two, two mast boats side by side in both prints.

Majestic Boat

I love the majesty of these boats and can only image the splendor with their sails unfurled.

Docked Masts

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Sailboat – Summer Fun

Sailboat

Purple Sailboat – Featured Art Print

“Purple Sailboat” is an art print I am featuring from my Lighthouse/Nautical Gallery. The print is done using a subtle watercolor technique of a sailboat. This style creates a soft whimsical look not getting lost in the detail, but creating the concept of a sailboat gliding across the water on a warm summer afternoon. To further enhance the look and feel of the scene, I went with a soft purple to compliment the blue and green hues of the surrounding landscape and lake. The overall look is warm and relaxing with just a touch of fun.

Purple Sailboat

The setting for this particular print could be any lake or shoreline, but is in fact Lake Union in Seattle, Washington and it is a warm summer afternoon.

I invite you into the Lighthouse/Nautical Gallery to view additional art prints.

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Sail Boats

As a follow up to last weeks post, I mentioned that I had added a number of new art prints to my Landscape Watercolor 3 Gallery. I posted a few of them and this week I am posting a few more. The watercolor prints this week are done in different style. Last week, those watercolors were based on more simple abstract drawings. This week the watercolors are done using very detailed, precise drawing and sketching. With Sail Boats as a subject matter, notice the complexity of the drawing as it pertains to the masts and the boats in general.

The first picture is from a public park at the end of a harbor in a small New England Village……

New England Harbor

Notice the detail not only in the boats, but in the trees and the buildings within the village.

The next picture is a different angle within the same harbor….

Spring Time at the Harbor

The red maples pull the eye to the shoreline of the village, but the focal point remains the boats…..

The next print is of a sail boat along the coastal waters of New England…..

New England Coastal Living

Our eye goes to the sail boat initially, then to the very large home on shore. The trees and the water frame the two focal points.

Our next print stays with the sailing along the coastal waters…..

Sail Boat in New England

In this print, the homes along the shore become much more of the background than the prior print and the sail boat takes center stage.

This next print continues with this same setting….

Spring New England Sailing

The use of detailed drawing with these watercolors change the look entirely from last weeks set. The nautical theme is augmented with the distinct detail of the environment.

The style of the print and the media used changes the entire look and feel of these pictures. Pictures are meant to enhance a decor and create a look, feel and vibe.  That look and feel is yours and there is no right or wrong in my opinion.

For these and more prints, please visit my gallery:  Landscape Watercolor 3, one of many galleries on my main web site: TheWallGallery.

Thanks!