Waves, 16 x 16, oil on linen, © 2015 Rob Diebboll
This is a small color study done plein air, standing high up on the Cape Hedge popple dune (rock pile) looking down on the incoming surf. I'm intrigued by the life and color transitions of a wave. The many influences on the color include the wave height, water depth and clarity (bubbles, sand), ground type (sand, rock, seaweed), water surface angle reflecting light from the sky and sun. Of course, water is clear with a reflective surface, so it's creating color from what's below it, in it, and above it. This is the frustration and fun of painting water. BTW, did you know that the color "blue" was never mentioned in texts like Homer's The Odyssey and The Iliad?