Three on Deck

I am now juggling three paintings. All are due before the 7th. The bicycle girl was my main focus today and she is progressing nicely. Lucy, my neighbor and paint pal, suggested that I shrink the umbrella (yet again) in the background and I was happy to do it because Lucy has a good composing eye. Mine is developing because of her influence.

Nine weeks left

Today I spent an hour on each of the other paintings (Bicycle Girl and Gondolier). But I'm posting the new canal piece because I spent the most of my day on it. Right away, I decided to get rid of a railing that was in the forground to make it a very straitforward composition. I'll have to pay close attention to the perspective. I would hate to have a pretty painting with awkward angles.

Progress?

I had a strange weekend. In my restlessness, I worked on a portrait commission and started another canal-type painting. Both are at awkward stages - a reflection of my mood, no doubt.

T- Minus 74

Wow! I cannot believe that this gondolier's hands are so hard to render! So the same two paintings are still in rotation and it's time to wrap them up. Probably over the weekend for mister pole-pusher and next week for the cyclist. As for the cyclist, the ground in that painting will be less detailed. I need to tone down the cobble in the cobblestones. I was thinking... a painting on the brink of completion is like a child on the brink of adulthood. They are awkward. The mistakes that a mother makes rearing the child become painfully obvious and the mother has to look at herself and see her own failings. And there is struggle. One last final battle of wills molds both parties. And then, the parent has to let go because her task is done. That's another hard part-knowing when the creation is done.

T-Minus 75

I have been switching out these two paintings this week. The Gondolier is painfully close to being done. Later today, we'll see the final results. The bicycle piece has been going through compositional changes. Challenging! Also, I started a commissioned portrait yesterday. When I put color on the canvas, I'll post that too.

T- Minus 79

Here is yesterday's progress. I reluctantly admit that I see an autobiographic narrative emerging in this piece. The literal bicycle reference combined with the figure's placement just outside of the piazza is so EFG. Enough of that. The challenge here is the transition from foreground to background and also, the color. I'm wondering how selective to get with the intense colors.

T-Minus 81

After being away for a long weekend, I was anxious to start this new piece. It is another Italian image. It's a little smaller than I had originally planned for the next painting in the series (24" x 30"). I am pleased with today's progress and I'm looking forward to how it evolves because I don't have a concrete plan.

T-Minus 89

Today was very productive for my gondolier. I am going to put him away to start a new painting next week. After I've had some time away from him, I'll know what I need to do.

Day 4 (0r T-Minus 90)

Today I noticed that even though this painting is representational, it has room for abstaction-especially in the water. I also noticed that this is a work of patterns. I felt a little funny rendering the black and white stripes with the most basic application of very-nearly black and very-nearly white paint. I think Manet would have had no problem with this. All that implies the volume is the shape of the flat, thick stroke of paint.
I put off rendering my slumbering figure until I had all the major shapes on the page. What a delight it was to dote on his face! But that is enough of that for the time being.
BTW this is an oil on canvas 30" x 40".

Day Three

It's more appropriate to say that it's day "minus" 92 because in three months I will exhibit the work that I have started this week.
Today I finished a small (14" X 18") oil on canvas. I also worked a little on the water in the "Gondolier" painting.

Day Two

I have a deadline coming up so I put a piece on the easel that is almost finished. I spent just a few hours painting. This piece needs 4 more hours at best. I readdressed the water in the foreground and have basically been tweaking spots around the whole canvas.