I'm just trying to get my head around being back in the studio and office... I still feel the waves and fresh air from last week!
Honestly, I’m kind of amazed that I managed to paint every single day while we were away. That’s a small miracle when you have two little boys who are always ready to play... or just want to relax and enjoy the slowdown :)
One of my favorite parts of any trip is that first evening when we start to get our bearings, explore the area, and dream up little adventures for the days ahead.
One night after dinner, we decided to head back to the beach. There was a wooden platform just a short walk from our place, but to get there, we had to weave through thick reed beds. The water level was pretty low, so to really see anything beyond the reeds, we had to swim out a bit.
And that’s when it happened, I saw the most breathtaking sunset I’ve ever witnessed. I was floating in the water, trying to stay still, and just soaking it in: this glowing orange sun dipping down, calm waves, a soft "bridge" of light stretching across the surface, deep purple and blue hills in the background, pink sky with scattered clouds just to "frame the composition"
...and of course, I didn’t have my phone on me 😄
But I just tried to memorize it, floating, breathing, kicking gently, and be present in the moment, knowing it would only last a few minutes before the sun disappeared behind the hills.
Later that night, my older son was curious to join me for a little late-night painting session. I was dying to try out a new set of gouache paints I had picked up the day before.
For those who haven’t used gouache (or tempera), it's a water-based paint like watercolor, but it's opaque, meaning you can layer light over dark once it’s dry. It dries super fast too, so it's great for playing and experimenting. I brought a really simple set with me since I knew time would be limited.
You can even mix it with regular watercolors, sometimes I’ll just add a bit of white gouache to make them opaque. Perfect for adding highlights or painting something like the sun... or the lemon (inspired by our lemonade :P
One thing though, my yellow turned out a bit muddy in the end. Either this paint has a weak pigment or I just wasn’t careful enough rinsing my brush. Lesson learned! :)
Added some photos roughly from the same "Dream spot" ... + One interesting lesson is how much more we see in low light, the Gold sunset image shouldn't be this dark in the shadows... but the camera can't really capture all the rich nuances we can see with our eyes!
Have you ever tried gouache before?
Would you try painting on a holiday or you just like to enjoy the view without needing to paint it? :)
Happy painting!
Tamas