Signed... Sealed... and Delivered!

Today I completed the four by eight foot mural project. It has been an arduous undertaking... with many new challenges, but it was a wonderful learning experience. Working solely in acrylics... in such a large scale format proved to be my biggest challenge. It actually almost became my achilles - literally!

In the early lay in stages, I was forced to work very broadly and rapidly because the deep humidity dried the pigment as fast as I laid it down. It offered me little or no opportunity to blend colours in broad transparent washes in the lower part of the surface, as is my customary approach when painting in oils. My lower and downward painting posture using these big arm motions created great tension in my neck and shoulders... and I paid for that decision.

My decision to work more on the sky portion and the Zavikon Island building elements immediately resolved the problem... and the painting moved along quickly. I had enough of the lower half partially in place to give me a solid sense of where I wanted the painting to move towards in finishing.  I decided to paint here and there in varying places... without finishing any one area completely. I feel that this strategy allowed me to preserve harmony of colour and values as I moved forward.

Here is a three stage development of the girl and her skiff in the foreground as it developed using the "spotting method".

Simple transparent washes to just establish its presence in the overall composition

In this overview... the skiff shows more correct colour and delineation of detail as does the girl... but still not yet arrived at the detail level I wanted to have in the immediate foreground.

Here is the final stage of the mural... just a few licks to be made to tie together edges and correct a few values here and there. But it is for the most part... in the bucket... finished. It's signed. 

To me that says....  STOP!

\

"River Heritage -  acrylic on canvas four by eight feet on primed marine plywood.

I will let the painting surface completely dry for about a week and hopefully we will have one nice warm fall day to apply the three UV protection varnish coats to seal it completely and prepare it for outside display next season.

I will be off tomorrow to be present for Allison's lymph node surgery. She is in wonderfully high spirits and has assumed her normal teaching load. Deb and I attended her lecture last Thursday evening... it was purely magical! On Saturday I will walk with her Breast Cancer walk team... The Shermanators"... ten of her art history students. I have managed to earn pledges of over $800.00 for the cause... I'll likely need $100 of it for liniment after the walk! HA HA!!

I will be able to fully dedicate my work to fall painting outdoors beginning next week. Looking forward to the Pageant very much!

Stay tuned....

Good Fall Painting!... to ALL!!!