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!