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Linda Prentiss

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Winter Landscape: Skaters

February 19, 2016

I spent many happy hours skating on Cook's Pond in Westhampton Beach when I was a kid. This composition is drawn from several sources: photos of another frozen pond on Long Island, sketches of skaters done at Rockefeller Center, and memories of skating with my sisters.

"Skaters," watercolor, approx. 16" x 20"

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The Atlantic Ocean

The ocean beaches on Long Island -- where I grew up and spent many sunny summer days -- are beautiful in winter, too. These two small oil paintings were done from a combination of photos and memory in warmer days, diving into the waves. "Wave," oil on canvas, 9" x 12" (sold) "Seascape, Atlantic Ocean at Westhampton Beach," 9" x 12" I am fascinated by the ocean, at once beautiful and terrible. The constant motion of the waves, the changing color of the water, the difference from one day to the next, and the smell and sound of the sand and surf at any season is calming to my soul. Painting all that I see and feel as I walk along the beach is influenced by a lifetime of watching the waves. I had two teachers who inspired me to paint the ocean: Pete Klotz, my high school art teacher, and Marcose Blahove, who lived next door to me.

Still Life Drawing: Sea Shells

I live on Eastern Long Island, surrounded by water. The beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Island Sound are among the most beautiful on the planet! I've been beachcombing and collecting shells my entire life, so naturally I use the shells for still life. The following drawings are lifesize. I enjoy arranging shells in different combinations, making formal compositions within a rectangle. Each shell is carefully placed to make the most of the negative space on the page, and to show the shape in its most characteristic view. "Five Shells," graphite on watercolor paper, 6" x 9" The tools to make these detailed drawings are simple: number 2B and 4B drawing pencils, kneaded eraser, white plastic eraser, single-edged razor blade (to sharpen the white eraser and pencils) tortillon for smudging, sandpaper pad to keep the pencil and tortillon sharp, strong natural sunlight, and smooth 100% rag watercolor paper. "Four Shells," graphite on water...

Sketch Based on a Shape

I try to draw every day. Often I base the sketch on a shape. It might be a circle, a square, a triangle, or any other shape. Since it is Valentine's Day, the obvious shape is a heart. So here it is! "Heart Shapes, February 14, 2016," graphite on paper, approx. 8" x 10" What makes a good work of art? I think it is often the application of the principles of design as evident in this drawing. Contrast of size, a change in direction, contrast of value, repetition of shape, and a sense of movement are all part of the principles. The basic element of this drawing, the subject matter in this case, is the shape of the heart.

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