Tuesday, February 2, 2016

San' Antimo, Second Draft, Day 4

ME reminded me tonight that I hadn't reflected on the "resolutions" I made in January, and she was right.  Her reminder was welcomed because I had totally forgotten.  Tonight, I told her, tonight I will write about how I did and reflect on what I need to do this month.

And that was my intention until I reflected on today.  It was painting day, and how, I reasoned, could I not discuss the painting when it is so fresh in my mind?  So, with apologies to ME, the discussion will be on the painting.

Last week I turned my attention from the first study (disaster) to the second.  By the end of the painting day last week, things were looking up.  Here's what I had at the end of last week (I'm showing it so you don't have to try scrolling back and forth):


This week the progress was slow.  Very slow . . . and that's one of the lessons for today.  Architectural painting is not something I can do quickly.  I am able to paint things like the background more loosely now than when I began watercolors, but I find it almost impossible to transfer that loose brush stroke over to the building.  I'm inhibited partly because, as always, I want it to be perfect. But also because this is relatively uncharted territory - painting a complex building in a way that gives a sense of its mass as well as the architectural details.  All that and its simple beauty.  I want to capture it all.  And while trying to do that, I also want to comvey my sense of its importance to the community as well as its solitude.  And how the heck am I going to get this all in one painting?

Here's today's work.  The building is coming along, but I'm not so sure about all the rest.


Tomorrow?  The easier stuff, I promise, ME.

1 comment:

  1. that building is beautiful. Much, too much thinking when painting!!

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