I have always been interested in the sea and bodies of water. They bring up an array of feelings, some being curiosity, fascination, fear, isolation, awe, wonder, and enchantment. As a child I would think about what was under the surface of the water and all of these emotions came up. With this piece I wanted to explore those emotions about what was under the surface, but also the feelings I felt when I looked at the surface. When it was choppy water it stirred something in me like I could feel a storm or disturbance coming, but then it enchanted me with the pretty colors on the water. They dance and change as it moves. Choppy water would settle into calm waters where there were circling ripples that caught light differently changing the colors of the ripples. The sunset colors bounce around on the water as it moves creating wonder and enchantment.
I laid down the watercolors first in all of the blues and greens of the water, the highlight colors that changed with the movement of the water, and the sunset colors. I went back into the underwater area and added darker layers and layers in the sunset for clouds. After I finished the watercolor I went in with charcoal and added depth to the underwater and surface water. The charcoal layer included expressionist line work as well giving it more detail and a striking appearance.