Tall ship painting

Just about finished a painting of a Tall Ship entering the Savannah river in Ga. I have it on a windless morning with a low lying fog. This required detailed work being fogged out but I feel that it helped bring the picture together. Three pelicans flying near the water added a little life to the painting. Just can't decide if it is done yet!

Perspective

Perspective, Perspective, Perspective. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to learn and understand the proper use of perspective when drawing or painting a picture. Even if you paint loosely or semi-impressionistic, good perspective will add tremendously to the quality of your work. A good example is when drawing a building or even a little shed. If the front wall base line is parallel to the horizon (eye) line it is impossible to see any other side of the object.You will see this in many paintings and say to yourself "it just doesn't look right". Well, it isn't right and that is why it doesn't look right. Correct perspective is easy to learn and is super important in creating good paintings.

Pic hanging at Heritage Oaks

We did the new pic hanging at Heritage Oaks yesterday. Many nice photos and paintings, but the importance of knowing and using proper perspective in a painting was made apparent in several works. The wrong perspective can make a good painting poor.

Tall Ships

Presently working on a painting of a "Tall Ship" entering Savannah River on a foggy morning. After researching them and viewing many photos, one (Peacemaker) docked at the Brunswick port and I was blown away by the size of this ship when I stood next to it. This will help getting proper perspective in the painting. Experiencing something live can add so much to the quality of a painting - even if it is not the exact same subject.

Starting blog - first post

This is one of my favorite paintings and I have sold the original and many prints. It was done from a blueprint of the original "Rebecca Ann" plans that was built in the late 1930's and used on the Chesapeake bay in Va. My painting "They Just Fade Away" was painted shortly be her complete demise in a field in Matthews Va. These paintings can also be seen on my web page http://jimziemerart.com