Boatyard on Niagara

Boatyard on Niagara

Watercolor on paper

8”x10”

Chris Breier © 2016

The original painting is for sale. For this painting I used a limited palette of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, although I used a small amounts of other colors towards the end. I like working in a limited palette because it simplifies the color choices and I can focus more on the values.

Canandaigua (SOLD)

Kershaw Park, Canandaigua
Acrylic on Gessobord
5”x7”
Chris Breier © 2015

This is the view of Canandaigua Lake from Kershaw Park. I started this painting with thin transparent washes of acrylic and then I built up the colors in areas with more opaque layers of paint. The challenge was getting the values of hills correct so that it would create a sense of depth. In the distance there are a few sail boats.

If you’re old enough, you may remember that this was the site of the Roseland Amusement Park. The park closed in 1985 but according to Wikipedia, the Skyliner rollercoaster was moved to Lakemont Park in Pennsylvania. The carousel also survived; it was moved to the Carousel Center Mall in Syracuse NY and was fully restored.

Boats and Condos

The original painting is available.
This is another view from the observation tower at the Erie Basin Marina. I used a zoom lens to get a closer view of the boat docks. What attracted me to paint this image is that it’s realistic and yet it has a number of abstract qualities. The docks created a number of patterns and I enjoyed painting the silvery reflective surface of the lake. The roofs of the condos create another pattern of shapes and the dark shadows create a strong contrast with the water.

You may also be interested in another painting of a view from the same observation tower at Erie Basin Marina.