Birthday Sunrise on the Bay

I've been working on this one for awhile. I have always loved clouds and I'm bound and determined to paint them and paint them...and paint them, until I figure them out. I suspect this will take a lifetime. That's ok.

My sister sent me a photo last year of the sunrise on her birthday and I had held onto that photo for awhile, finally deciding it was time to tackle these fabulous clouds. I used every color imaginable in this painting, but you don't notice it until you get close.

I thought that was appropriate for a painting entitled "Birthday Sunrise." It's like God threw a party in the sky in celebration.

Here's a detail of the clouds to give you a little better idea of how many layers went into these clouds. The layers were more due to dogged determination to finally get it right than anything else. I'm sure there are artists out there who can whip up beautiful clouds in the skies in no time, but I'm not one of them...yet.

I'm still searching for my next sky photo to tackle. (Photographer friends, that's a hint for you!)

"Birthday Sunrise"

36"x36" oil on canvas, gallery- wrapped