Brian Lasaga

Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Tidal Roots, acrylic, 12 x 18" (30 x 46 cm)

Second Prize is a two-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine My Inspiration

My inspiration always starts with nature. I either drive, hike or kayak to certain locations looking for material that will catch my eye. Since we are surrounded by water, there is no shortage of coastal scenes, which offers many driftwood sculptures. I enjoy walking along our rocky beaches and listening to the sound of the ocean. Some of the driftwood along our beaches may get moved around with our rising and falling tides and there is always something new to see each time I visit these areas.

My Design Strategy

I enjoy painting the twisted shapes and textures of driftwood against interesting skies and this is just another example of what I like to do with these subjects. In this piece I wanted a different perspective and chose a low angle approach with backlit evening light. I didn’t want to hold back on the rocks and grass so I gave it just as much attention as the main subject. Although the water is off in the background, it was very important to me to make it appear soft and flowing. It was a critical element to the setting I wanted to express.

My Working Process

I always start by preparing my Masonite wood panel with equal coats of acrylic gesso on both sides and later sand the roughness down to a smoother finish. I always start my sky even before any drawing of the subject is executed. Since this was a small piece, a pencil drawing was done freehand directly onto the panel but most of the drawing was done later with various paint brushes. I used a limited palette for this piece but ultramarine blue and burnt sienna were the main colors. Other colors used were alizarin crimson, Hansa yellow, Hooker’s green and titanium white.

Contact Details

Email: brianlasaga@gmail.com Website: www.brianlasagarealism.com