Waitaria Bay

I finished this pastel painting in December last year. It is the first painting I actually finished and it is therefore a bit of a landmark for me. For all the accomplishment it represents I am not entirely happy with the painting. Most especially, I find that the photograph (which I took sometime around 1987) is in my eyes very much better than the painting. In particular: the shape of the boat is not correct; somehow the photo appears much better balanced than the painting, the painting does not have enough contrast; the stony beach is not well enough represented. On the other hand I was very pleased with the texture I managed to achieve on the boat, and the misty yellow green of the bay waters. I don't think I'm being too harsh on myself.

Maybe someday I will paint this photo again, and adress all these issues. Until then it hangs now in the living area of our home - after all, for all its faults it is my first completed painting.