Painting Padre Waves with Wade Koniakowsky!

Painting Padre Waves

A  2 day Workshop - Thursday, May 23rd & Friday, May 24th from 1p-4p

The Gulf Coast, with its richly colored waters and sandy beaches, offers a captivating spectacle for artists seeking inspiration. Here, the colors shift and meld, reflecting the ever-changing moods of the sea and sky. I’ve watched the waves break along the beaches of Padre Island since I began surfing there in the mid 60’s.

This 2 day class will be a deep dive into depicting these scenes. Day one will include an intro to color and values, fundamental to painting any work of art. From there we will move right into what I consider the 4 elements that make up the most compelling wave paintings:

1. Offshore spray
2. Backlight that comes thru the wave
3. The curl of the wave and how the light falls on it
4. “Froth” and how it moves up the face of the waves, in and out of the light

In this, we spend a fair amount of time on the mechanics of a breaking wave and the play of light on this movement.

Our goal will be to complete one wave painting per day. We will work from reference that I provide, pictures of waves I’ve painted, scenes that I can break down like a math problem.

Whether you're a seasoned painter or just beginning your artistic journey, join us as we immerse ourselves in the beauty of the Gulf Coast waves and unlock the secrets to bringing them to life on canvas.