Splashing Waves
This is a painting of the view from the cliffs at Saberanes point, BigSur, California. The composition is a balance of flowing blue waters of the ocean and orange/red and hard edges of the cliffs
I like how the painting turned out but something seems to be off. I want to give it a few days before making these changes.
Sky: While the muted colors balance the bright color of water and waves, the sky seems too flat(from top to bottom). Adding some blue to the top/near field can increase the perception of depth
Light and shadows: I started the painting to indicate the afternoon light both the on the waves and on the rocks. The perception of light on the rocks was lost as the wash turned out to be too thick. It is not clear to infer the time of the day from the painting. Adding shadows for the sea stacks, and grays in the water to improve the balance Before I start over-working the painting I wanted to share this version. Appreciate any comments and suggestions
the input from the comments seems to align with my observations. I made some tweaks - shadows, grey in the distance sea, softening edges and ready to call it final
I think technically you've done some very nice things in this painting, especially with your waves. Now I am just an amateur painter so it's difficult for me to give others criticism and maybe take what I say with a grain of salt. My instinct when I look at your painting is that the colors aren't cohesive, that perhaps you used too many varying primary shades in mixing your colors? I agree that the sky doesn't seem to match the scene as it is very warm and grey in contrast with your bright blue and very cool ocean.
I just watched Oliver's first video on skies where he talks about how the sky needs to match the rest of the scene in tone and with types of clouds etc. It's a lot to think about!