Turpentine diaries 12/31/17

One day in the park at Playhouse Square, I saw a young lady sitting alone and eating her lunch.  As usual, I was taking photos and I wanted to take some of her but I didn’t want her to freeze as people sometimes do when they see a camera.  So I asked if she would allow me to take some photos, She graciously accepted and asked, “What should I do?”   “Do what you were doing–act natural.”  I  took a dozen photos before leaving her to finish her lunch.

I plan several paintings from those photos.  I started the first one on a medium-size canvas (for me) 32″ x 48.”  I worked on the cartoon for some time.  When I finished it, I transferred it to the canvas and, because the scale is right, transferred it to a smaller canvas and then pastel and watercolor paper. I transferred the latter simultaneously by using two sheets of carbon paper.  I wanted the design to be lighter on the watercolor paper so I placed it beneath the pastel paper.  In this photo, you can see the cartoon and the design transferred to the papers.

These four versions give me a chance to focus on different elements and treatments.  Here is a closeup of the transferred designs on the paper.  The watercolor is a little larger than the pastel ( the green paper).

Here is the large painting after my first session.

Here is a closeup of the painting after my second session.  I typically take around 12 sessions to finish a painting of this size, so it has a long way to go.

The painting, Lunch Alone, is part of the Playhouse Square series.  I don’t have a photo of the smaller canvas but it’s 24″ x 30.” 

I’ve been trying to create more smaller-format versions of my work.  My larger canvases are expensive for most budgets.  I can price the watercolors below $1500, the drawing below $500, and the prints below $250.  Producing new print editions is one of my new year’s resolutions.

Happy new year!