'Beach Baby Ella'

"Beach Baby Ella"
10X8
Wash and Pencil on Ampersand Gessoboard
NFS

Scroll down to see Beach Baby Bennett, too.

Well...changing my mind. I originally was doing these two pieces as underpaintings. But as I worked I decided I liked the effect of the washes and pencil on the surface and, honestly, I don't think I could do a full blown painting of these that I would like as well as this....so I'm leaving well enough alone and moving on to the next thing.

Ella and Bennett went to the beach in Hawaii with their parents on the way to Korea. I think if you are going to the beach for the first time, it might as well be some gorgeous place like Hawaii....don't you? They were actually sitting side by side on a water board in the sand, but I split the picture into two parts, thinking that they might like to each have one of their own someday. What strikes me in both of them is the look of concentration as they try to get familiar with this strange stuff that they have never seen before.