Sweet Dreams

When I saw the photograph, I knew I had to paint it. Who can resist a cute sea lion who jumped onto a boat and then felt safe enough to fall asleep? I loved not only the sleeping sea lion, but the contrasting colors of the deep dark blue water against the almost pure white boat, and then add the bright blue seats and the worn out boat dock…it had it all!

And so it began. Yesterday there was a terrible storm that roared into Florida, bringing with it high winds and torrential rains. It was the perfect day to paint in the RV, so I grabbed my 3rd cup of coffee and got right down to work.

First, I mixed up some white with a hint of blue to paint over the entire canvas. Then I traced the boat at the size and location I wanted it in the painting. My next step was to paint that beautiful dark blue water. I was careful not to go inside the outline of the boat because I had to make it as white as possible.

then it was time to work on the boat. This was WAY more difficult than I had anticipated, and I have a few photos that show how many adjustments I made before adding the boards and seats.

The boards in the boat were tricky…ugh! I don’t know how long I worked on those boards! I had to use various shades of whites and greys, and even though I gave up and added the seats, I still wasn’t happy with them! In between struggling with the boards and then the seats (also very challenging), I went ahead and used a pallet knife to paint the boat dock.

After changing the color of the seats, I finally started working on the sea lion. First! I traced him in place inside the boat, and worked out where the oars were to go beside him. I also used a black acrylic paint pen and a ruler to paint the lines on the dock, and painted an upright board to tie the oars to.

Decided to go ahead and paint the little guy before calling it a night. So glad I did, as I’m very pleased with how he turned out. Then I went ahead and painted the oars and ties, and decided that was it for the day.

In the morning, I saw a few things in the boat and water I needed to work on. I put another couple hours into it, and I believe I’ll call it done. Here it is: “Sweet Dreams”

Psalms 4:8

8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

I just love this sea lion, and am so happy he was able to find a safe and peaceful place where he could get some rest. We all need to have that safe, restful place in our lives.
Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on this painting. Until next time, stay creative!