GA 0167 | Watercolor Sailboat

Collection: Windy Days

Date: October 13, 2025

Medium: Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Pen & Ink

The Process

For this piece, I began by sketching out the sailboat and applying frisket over the hull and mast to preserve the clean whites. Once the masking fluid dried, I used a wet-on-wet technique to lay in the soft base of the sky and water, letting the colors naturally blend and flow together. After removing the frisket, I painted the boat’s base in watercolor, then refined the structure and rigging with colored pencil and a ruler for crisp precision.

The trees were built up gradually, from light to dark, small to large leaves, to create natural depth and movement. Finally, I signed the work with white and black ink, keeping the overall finish clean and balanced.

The Inspiration

This painting carries a personal connection. While my uncle-in-law was visiting, he mentioned how much he loved watercolor and wanted to redecorate their condo. I showed him a few older works I’d painted back in 2022, and one in particular caught his attention, a small watercolor of a sailboat. He immediately recognized it as his own from his youth.

The original reference photo had been taken in Rocky Bayou, Niceville, Florida, a place filled with family memories. I found that photo again and decided to revisit the scene, this time creating a larger, more detailed version that captured both the stillness and emotion of the original moment.

Reflections

What first drew me to that photograph and continues to draw me to this subject, is the profound sense of peace it holds. The water is calm, the air quiet, and there’s a serenity that feels almost timeless.

In GA 0167, I wanted to preserve that stillness. The kind that exists when everything slows down, when the only movement is the ripple of water and the hum of memory.