Seascape for Jackie

A very good friend of mine lost her mom to Covid in 2021. Our other friend who lived on the opposite coast took a picture of flowers being washed away by the Pacific Ocean. Since her death, Jackie has moved houses and needed some art for her home office. She immediately came to me with her vision. Her vision was our other friend’s picture on a large 30”x30” canvas.

I mapped all the details out using a grid then did a blue wash to start the painting. I worked in all the colors I could and made them as bright and vibrant as possible. Jackie’s mom was the light of her life and I wanted it to shine through my painting.

I delivered Jackie’s painting to her on her birthday and she hung it up right away. It has been many years since I worked on a canvas of that size, so it was intimidating at first. I always doubt myself as well when starting a piece, thinking I don’t know if I should have taken this commission. This isn’t going to turn out like the picture, but as I start to paint and get in my own rhythm, my confidence builds. Sometimes the doubt can be debilitating, and sometimes it’s just enough to push us to prove even ourselves wrong.