Ocean Drive, Ocean Driving 2

Ocean Drive,
Ocean Driving Study 2

after a storm, along Ocean Drive at Blowing Cave
in Kennebunkport, Maine on Feb 8, 2019,
painted on February 11, 2019, 12" x 9",
Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and
Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light
fastness and permanence, wax resist paraffin, and
Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb.
Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $240.00 USD

White Ships

John Singer Sargent, (1856 - 1925)
Watercolor with wax resist, 1908

I learned the wax resist splash technique from observing this John Singer Sargent watercolor, White Ships, in person at the MFA Boston show in 2014. He used it to get a reflection highlight on the side of the schooner's hull, seen in a detailed closer look. Museum visits are always learning time. I leaned in to the note on the wall and read:

"In this scintillating view of the harbor in Majorca, one of the latest works included in his 1909 exhibition, Sargent used a small amount of clear wax on the right side of the larger boat in order to repel the blue washes, creating sparking highlights. Sargent's use of this wax resist technique increased significantly over time; this is the only watercolor from the 1908 Brooklyn purchase in which wax resist is found, while most of Boston's watercolors acquired in 1940, contain wax."