Evans Notch -White Mountain National Forest

This is a new work in progress that was started today. The location is old Route 113 in Gilead, Maine, which runs through an area called Evans Notch in the scenic White Mountain National Forest. Steve and I love this area and have hiked up Royce Mountain located off the road to the right and out of frame. The view from the top is breathtaking but it's a long steep climb. This section of road is so peaceful and quiet...far from the madding crowd. For this painting I decided to do something a little different so I painted a 18 x 24 panelli telati support(Italian made canvas covered board that's been gessoed) with a pink pastel alcohol wash. I've painted in the trees and shadows on the road with colors ranging from black, dark blue, teal green, forest green, olive green, pale sage green and a warm dark brown. So far the pink underpainting remains as the light source throughout.
It's an unusual color combo for me but I'll keep you posted on the progress and show you the finished painting..
By the way..most of my new work hasn't been added to my website yet..not enough time but they're all for sale...please inquire.

Anatomy of a painting

The casein study of "Carry a Big Stick" was chosen to use in the advertising for a group show I participated in recently(see previous blog-Dog and Pony Show) and I was commissioned to do a larger painting using exactly the same composition and tone values used in the posters. The hues and contrast of the study had been adjusted considerably using a digital program and the composition had also been cropped slightly. I decided to use a grid system to transfer the new poster image onto my painting support insuring that the shapes and composition would be right on and satisfy the customer. I drew a grid over a black and white print of the poster, seen on the table easel behind the pastel tray, then drew a grid to scale onto the 18 x 24 white panel(panelli telati) and sketched in the dog and ground shapes. When I felt that everything was accurate I blocked in the biggest shapes with an underpainting , seen at the top of the page, of the most intense pastel colors. They would show through in places in the finished piece. Then I started pulling out smaller shapes adding layer by layer with lighter hues. In some areas I used my fingers, bunched up kleenex, kneaded eraser, or a soft brush to blend colors or push them into the white canvas surface. Included is a photo of my pastel tray that holds over 200 sticks arranged by hue and tone. About 15 pastels were used to complete the painting.