Simplicity in Painting

"In the past few years, I have arrived at a freedom in my painting never attained by me before. I seem to have the ability to leave passages of the composition and develop others in harmony with each other with much more ease. Maybe I'm becoming more patient and can stand back and see parts of the painting working even though they have unfinished, and then be able to leave them. I feel it is in the combination of good draftsmanship, the knowledge of paint, and the ability to know when to stop in certain areas, and finally in the whole painting, that leads to good painting."

Al Sprague, Artist's Journal, March 8, 1991

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Kassie on the Beach, 1990

After leaving Panama in 1988, Dad relocated to Naples, Florida where he expanded his subject matter to include beach scenes. He used family members and friends as models for his work. One time I was visiting and we drove up the coast to Amelia Island to spend the day on the beach. Dad brought his camera and took multiple photos to use as material to paint.

Dad loved Amelia Island because the water was calm, the sand was soft, and it was very easy to gather workable material to paint. I remember posing for Dad - it wasn't as easy as you would think. Now I know what it is like to be a model. "Hold your head this way. Move your hand that way. Look up. Look down." Even though he used a camera often, it seemed to never fail that something would go wrong - mostly with the operator. This was always something my brothers and I would laugh about. So it wasn't new to hear Dad yelling about not being able to load the film or having a battery that was dead. Regardless, he was able to get some good shots that day. 

After my visit, Dad began painting and the final product was shipped to Hawaii to be shown in the Wyland Gallery in Kauai. Before it shipped, I saw a photo of the painting. I loved the simplicity in the work. 

In August 1991, I was married and we traveled to Hawaii for our honeymoon. One of our stops was to visit the Wyland Gallery in Kauai where the painting was on display. It was as beautiful as I imagined. It wasn't long after I returned from our honeymoon when a box arrived from Hawaii and Kassie on the Beach became part of our growing art collection. 

Although I am the subject matter of this painting, not everyone would know that. The composition has harmony in color and simplicity in design. Dad didn't overwork any of the areas which makes it, in my mind, a good painting.