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ART CHALLENGE #
Finalist
Olga Rybalko British Columbia, Canada, Ebb and Flow, acrylic, 15 x 30" (38 x 76 cm)
My Inspiration
My inspiration for this piece came from a
long morning scouting mission along the
beach. The outgoing tide had left behind a
reflective surface of wet sand, moulded into
ripples and patterns created by the moving
water, and then illuminated so beautifully
by the rising sun. Seascapes are one of my
absolute favourite subjects to paint. I can sit
and watch the waves rolling in on the shore
for hours, and paired with the glimmer of
sunlight, I knew this piece would make a
great painting. The beach is located on the
Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia where
I visited in 2017.
My Design Strategy
I chose to have the horizon line quite high
in the painting in order to have more focus
on the foreground, as well as arrange the
rocks in such a way that leads your eye into
the painting and over the horizon. This
resulted in a very dynamic composition
with room for abstraction. I wanted to play
with layers and texture in the larger open
areas and place detail along the rocks and
shoreline to create anchor points for the
viewer’s gaze. I also wanted to use muted
complementary colours to create subtle
vibrancy in the painting.
My Working Process
I start by working from a reference photo,
or several photos in some cases. The
initial sketch provides the compositional
framework and I begin with laying down
the dark and mid-tones, eventually moving
towards the highlights. Eventually I abandon
the photo reference in favour of simply
judging the painting itself as the basis for
what further changes need to happen.
This painting was done in acrylics on
canvas. Acrylic paint allows for lots of fast
layers to be created using a variety of tools.
I used a rubber roller and palette knives
to create unique marks and layered effects.
Using these tools allows me to focus on the
composition and the abstract qualities of
the painting rather than being caught up in
fine detail.
Contact Details
» Email: [email protected]
» Website: http://www.olgarybalko.com
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