Johannes Wessmark

Varmland, Sweden, The Crown II, acrylic, 18 x 35" (46 x 89 cm)

My Inspiration

My inspiration for this painting was some photos I took of my children when we were in the swimming pool one day. They were jumping into the water and just for fun trying to make the splash as big as possible. When looking through the photos I realized the splashes looked so interesting with all their reflections and transparency. Then I came up with the idea to make a similar painting but with an object instead of a person.

My Design Strategy

Since my favorite color is green-blue I decided to use a big glass bowl from the kitchen with these colors. I also turned the water more green-blue than it originally was to make it stand out from the background and at the same time harmonize with the glass. Then I wanted to have an object that differed in color from the glass and water so an orange was an easy choice. It also made a suitable sized splash for that bowl.

My Working Process

I always paint from photos references. With my camera on a tripod, a couple of flashes on the sides and a grey piece of paper for the backdrop I started to taking photos. After many attempts I managed to get a photo where the splash looked interesting enough. I print my photos in the same size as the painting will be, tape them together and put them on a light table with the canvas on top so I can sketch all of the details with accuracy.

I cover the whole canvas with a masking film and cut out the different parts so I can paint one part at a time. The background and other bigger areas and also the parts that are blurry due to camera depth are painted with airbrush (acrylic) and the smaller, sharp details are painted with oils and tiny brushes.