This Fisherman of Kure Beach

That first cast. The throw of the hook and bait. It is the splash that switches an internal button to bring focus to one’s self. To me; fishing is meditation.

I have fished in lakes and ponds. Angling in the great ocean is on my bucket list. In the past it was the fear of catching something of monstrous proportion that inspired me to take on other more safe activities, such as walking, photography or sitting in the shade. My next chance, I will take it. These were a few thoughts i had while sketching him on paper.

I admired his focus. In all the noise and wind he kept to the task. I watched with a hope he would catch something. Strangers would walk past him. They would say “hello” and have you “caught anything”? He would smile and say “not yet”. At times he stood like a roman statue ignoring time and the rise of the advancing tide.

I took inspiration from this fisherman of Kure Beach. I attempted to bring a moment in my time to the canvas. His shirt and sun-tanned skin almost glowed against blue churning water. The break of the waves revealed how colorful sand can be with all of its warms and cools. The paint is semi thick. The marks are aggressive.

Quick Notes:

You can see where I worked with thirds on this painting. Finding the happy medium between abstract and realism was one of the things I was pushing for. I’m not there yet.  I focused on making a painting rather than a reproduction of a photo. Breaking up and abstracting a landscape is easy. For me abstracting the figure is difficult as I’m trying to break schools of thought in regard to anatomy and proportion. I found myself painting an arm or face going back in forth from doing what is expected to breaking things (shapes and rules)

I designed this painting to keep the viewers attention always moving. We start with the body of the man, then to the extended arms, to the fishing pole, the string, back to the feet and up the body. The background reinforces the eye to move from background to foreground and then to the figure. The top 3 parts of the background almost equal in mass where as the figure and sand have a similar thinness.The angle of the foreground (sand)  counters the direction of the wave breaking.

Take away: Get thicker. Don’t forget about oil paints. Consider using an Icing Spatula. Quinacridone Red is awesome. I’m getting better with Acrylic paint with each day.

 

Artwork Specifications

Title: This Fisherman of Kure Beach

Medium: Acrylic

Original Artwork Size: 16”x20”

Year: 2018