Mural, Day Five
First, I photographed the mural to stall while I decided where to begin.
Sky. Sky is a good starting place. Three men brought me a 6′ ladder (how many men does it take to deliver a ladder? Apparently, three!) This made it easier to work on the 8′ ladder, so the 6′ could act as a platform for my things. I also decided to go over the archway with the sky. I can always paint over it if it ends up not looking right. That fact always gives me confidence to dive in when I am unsure.
The background needed something. The original reference photo is sort of misty, foggy, or maybe smoky looking. Smoke is not welcome around here. I’m altering things enough from the photo that I don’t think duplicating the photo’s murky background will work. Enlarging murkiness results in large puzzling areas. Or maybe it doesn’t, but as the Art Empress of Realville, it goes against my grain to put nonspecific patches of unrealistic color in realistic paintings.
I ran out of daylight.Maybe I’ll come up with a new plan tomorrow.
Custom Oil Painting, continued
First, the sky, then the roof, and next, the details that I can see.
Greenery helps.
I’ll keep working at the details that I can see, then move to the parts that I have to make up, and finally, I’ll ask my Customer/Friend to help me understand the parts that she remembers.
Then, I’ll tighten up the details and correct the color and who knows? Whatever it takes to make it look the best I can make it. I can do this! (Like the Little Engine That Could – “I think I can, I think I can. . .”)
Ran out of daylight to paint during the last session. Hence, the darker photo.
Thank You, Veterans
Mural, Day Four
These two areas needed work. The entire mural needed work, but I chose these areas to begin the day’s painting session.
So, I worked on them.
Suddenly it was cold and getting dark. A few days ago, Trail Guy stopped by and asked if I needed anything. I said, “Faster paintbrushes”. I must be having fun, because time flies while I paint this.
What a beautiful place to work!
Mural, Day Three
On Day One, it was hot out. I wore shorts and painted in the shade. On Day Three, I wrapped it up early because of the icy wind that was whipping around, flapping the drop cloth, making my hand shake from the shivers. Weather Whiplash.
Who is Bob? Some people say, “. . . and Bob’s your uncle” to mean that something has been accomplished.
I don’t know who this Bob is, but today Kurt the Mailman stopped by to see the mural. Why does Kurt the Mailman care? He is a fabulous photographer and gave me a disk of his photos a number of years ago, along with his permission and blessing to use any for painting references. This mural is from one of Kurt the Mailman’s photographs! (I’m using quite a bit of artistic license, along with other photos for different details).
Mural, Day Two
Trail Guy stopped by to check on my progress and suggested that I place my bucket under the drip to see how much is coming off that pipe in 24 hours. Well, 20 hours, because I have been working about 4 hours a day. It started sort of hot again in the sun yesterday and by the end of the session, I put my ragged flannel paint rag on. (It’s an old shirt, one that belongs in a rag bag except that I need it.)
I wonder if puffy white clouds would look good on this wall. Those unpainted spaces could become clouds.
More will be revealed as more is covered.
Conversion to Winter
A friend from down south (that means Southern California or “Socal”) called to see if I could paint sequoias in snow for his company to use for their holiday card this year. (Companies aren’t allowed to send Christmas cards anymore.) We discussed sizes, timelines, and designs. After those preliminary decisions were made, I sent this sketch for approval.
The sketch vanished into the atmosphere, and another sketch of different proportions was requested. I sent this, but knew it wasn’t as good as the 18×36″ proportioned one, so I sent the first one again. (Did it vanish because I had the audacity to write the words “Merry Christmas”? Don’t be a conspiracist!!)Then the requested time frame to receive the finished painting shrunk. People who don’t paint don’t know how long it takes for oil to dry; people who do paint don’t really know either but realize it isn’t an overnight situation. People who live in cities don’t know how long it takes for giant blank canvases to get shipped; people who don’t live in cities don’t really know either, but understand that time must be built in for snafus.
So, I looked at the 18×36″ painting of sequoias on the easel that was set aside because I have commissions, which always take precedence over the paintings I do to build up my inventory.Necessity is the mother of invention and being innovative is part of living rurally. I decided that this unfinished summer scene could be converted to winter, because there isn’t enough time to wait for a new canvas to arrive.
White is the slowest drying oil paint color, so this will need a few days before the detail begins.
Yippee skippee, I can do this!! (Why didn’t I think to add on a rush charge? Does anyone out there want to be my business manager? secretary? coach?)
New Custom Oil Painting
Because I can’t start painting on the mural until afternoon, I can work on a new custom oil painting in the morning.
This is for a friend of mine. This house belonged to her grandparents, and she doesn’t have many photos other than the ones taken after the house changed owners. So, I am working from mediocre photos and verbal instructions from my friend/customer. Tain’t easy, but we can do this.