I can’t help but blog about my nautical acrylic painting of this Pelican bird on the coast, I think this is one of my best painting so far. I did not expect that it will come out like this. I just love its simplicity and subtleness. You see I tried to minimize my style especially the violent brushstrokes into a smooth and flat background.

About this acrylic painting, this the last piece of my 8 x 10 inches Fredrix canvas pad. Fredrix canvas is high quality canvas pad assembled in Mexico and distributed from the US. And surely if it was made in Mexico, it is surely made out of love and passion. I made a series of nautical acrylic paintings because I like the sea a lot. I missed swimming actually. It all started with boats, water sports then birds that harbors on coastlines. I also studied the change in the color of the sea depending on the daytime. But this acrylic painting of a pelican is different because of its burnt sienna sand, green water and muted green sky made of Prussian Blue and Cadmium Yellow. Can the sky be so green huh? The bird is peach in color made of Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow and Titanium White. The feather underneath and the feet are Payne’s Gray but a mixture of Prussian Blue and Ivory Black. It is not the usual recipe because I often use Mars Black and Ultramarine Blue to create Payne’s Gray.

The brushes I used are a Borcianni e Bonazzi round brushes and a generic blending brush. I always use the same set of colors and process. What’s different is the use of brushes and I painted slowly. When I started to paint slowly, The canvas seems to calm down. It started when I painted the surfer. I was able to control how the brushes to work. I think it’s better to be gentle on whatever we do. Honestly, in this fast-paced society and that quantity is all that matters, it is hard to be gentle but I can try somehow.

Every time I look at the painting of the Pelican, it gives me that strange feeling as if it makes my spirit lighter. I don’t know if it is the creamy color the Pelican that makes it so. But there is that feeling of peacefulness. That morning I saw a quote frOm Lao Tzu in Tiktok. It said:

If you live in the past, you are depressed. If you live in the future, you are anxious. But if you live in the present you are at peace.

The moment I am painting it, I tried to focus on the present time. The boats and water sports are full of nostalgia, regrets and frustration to get clients. I always have those negative thoughts I need to release and it goes out in the canvas. No wonder the paintings end up confused because that is how I feel at the moment. But this time it is just the Pelican, the sea and me. I minimized everything, starting from my thoughts, to the content of the canvas, to the colors and brush strokes. It seems minimalism isn’t always and easy process at all.

However there is another dilemma. It is hard to choose between animation and painting. Currently I am studying Adobe Animate in the morning and painting by the evening. I also update this blog hoping that this too will become profitable in the future. All of this are taking lots of time and effort. Sometimes I feel guilty about not updating my graphic design portfolio because I am focusing too much on painting. But I guess I should not because it has been my bread and butter and become my second nature. Graphic design supports all my aspiration even painting. It is just to happen that I made a new set services like painting and vlogs but graphic design has always been there to support these the way it supports the businesses of my clients. It’s just my painting and vlogs are my own services that I am building overtime.