My Favorite Blanket

What inspires me to begin a painting is a unique emotion I want to encapsulate in my finished piece. I hope to invoke a response in the viewer that I experienced when I first witnessed the scene myself. Lately, I am gravitating towards the movement, power, and sheer beauty of ocean waves. What I love about waves is the simultaneous feeling of calm, power, and awe that I experience when watching them unfold. 'My Favorite Blanket' began as an underpainting using pastels and an alcohol wash. The painting is based on photos and videos. I loved the 'blanket' of foam' rendered as this wave began to crest.