And here it is! "A Time For Peace" with Lcpl Forest Blair and his Rachel walking along Top Sail Beach the day after Homecoming from Afghanistan. What a relief and special time this is. The day was windy, the sun was so bright as Forest and Rachel walked along with our family's. It all was so peaceful and even in January it was 60 degrees, enough for Rachel to take off her shoes and walk along the beach. They have so much to say and so much to share. Our Marines live life to the fullest. When they are home from war, they transit from that foreign land with all its challenges to their family, the purpose for the protection they provide. To you, the American citizen, you may not understand the price freedom, so selflessly fought for - costs.
While I was working on this at home, Forest is continuing his professional steps in the military. I am very proud of this young marine.
The painting is an acrylic, utilizing fluid acrylics brought down to a watercolor state with many layers of washes. There are acrylic mediums used from the Light Molding Paste base to the 4th gloss gel medium coat over the top and more Light Moulding Paste was knifed over stencils for the figures and reed in the foreground. Several Interference colors were used to deepen the luminosity of of the waves under the surf and Large Mica flakes were sunk into the Course Pumas Gel in the sand beneath their feet.
As I traveled back and forth from work and home creating my painting, our shipper receiver kept telling me the painting needs more drama in it, like a shark. When the boys were younger they used to see my landscapes and ask, "Where's the Sasquatch?" I always entertained the idea of painting in a Sasquatch in some obscure shadow in the background. Well, one day I walked into the art room to find...
You guessed it. A Shark! All I needed was a Jaws theme song running. Yes Pat, we laughed for days.
The sharks were removed to protect the innocent.
