38. Cumulus Clouds at the Beach

Cumulus Clouds at the Beach
Acrylic on Canvas Board 8"x8"

Yesterday's beach scene inspired me to give it another go. This one took only 51 minutes, which is by far the fastest I've painted a daily painting (not that speed is something I'm shooting for ... I'm just sayin'.) I only used 4 colors beside black and white. I'm pleased with this. I'm excited to be returning to Florida soon, where I can paint beach scenes every day of the week. I was thinking... if I were to add some vague buildings in the distance, it could "suggest" the view of Clearwater Beach from the Dunedin Causeway.

Lessons:
1. This is the most limited palette I've used so far ... only 4 colors beside black and white.
2. ...first attempt at painting clouds, so I learned a lot about how they're really shaped by looking closely at the reference.
3. I'm glad to be working from a realistic reference. I'm learning that it helps so much to first understand how to paint a thing realistically before attempting (the more advanced skill) of diverging from reality to paint loosely and blythely. Yes, I still aspire to eventually paint loosely, but for today, reality really helps.