This a favourite of mine because capturing the light and dark shadows on the white sails presented a challenge unlike one I had had before. I knew I wanted the painting to appear as though the sailboat was under sail without showing the actual boat. For those that are sailors I wanted them to recognize that the sails were from a Hunter 25.5. If you look close you can even see the guide wires. Putting these in the piece also presented a challenge. I love the deep shadows.
My decision to paint the sky so dark came near the end of the process when I realized that I wanted the sails to be the focus and not whether or not it was a cloudy or sun filled day. I love the feel of this piece and I can picture being on the boat sailing somewhere in Georgian Bay. Most likely near Wiarton, perhaps on racing night.
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