Another piece I am currently working on which is titled "School's Out" started out as a crappy video I took on my iPhone while snorkeling a couple of months ago. Swimming between coral heads just off shore with my wife, we were instantly surrounded by a school of thousands of 3-4" fish flashing brilliantly in the sun. As we moved, so did the fish, swooping and diving in shimmering synchrony.
After coming home and reflecting on the experience and then watching the video, I started doing some oil sketches to play with color and composition. The images below are studies for this piece as well as playing with color from underwater images take around Vancouver Island from a trip a few years ago.
In the meantime, I've been so taken with the underwater world, that I am reupping my scuba license (I was quite active in the sport about 25 years ago, including a stint as a Coral Reef Diver at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago) with my son who is getting his for the first time. My goal is to return to Vancouver as well as a number of other spots in the world to gain reference for future paintings. Stay tuned!
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| School's Out - Oil Study, 8 x 10 |
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| Abyss - Color Study |
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| Vancouver on My Mind - Oil Color Study. Looking up through the kelp beds towards the shimmering sun. |
Bruce, I had no idea that you were such a gifted painter. I love what I've seen and can't help but wonder why you're not doing this fulltime. I hope that you are able to do so at some point in time. We'd love to see you and your wife if you do come to Yellowstone.
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