Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Recovery Room, Part 3

Day Three in the Recovery Room

Today was spent refining things, redesigning the big tree and considering the light and atmosphere. This was where we were after day one:












And here's where we left it yesterday:













Today was spent changing the cashew tree into a different shape, adding some air within it, and beginning to light it. Now the tree needs to be modeled by adding its interior spaces. Perhaps tomorrow, but it's very wet at the moment.

This morning began with re-stretching the canvas, always great fun at this size, with wet paint to boot. Still, I managed to get it done without incident and it now gives a credible impersonation of a big base drum. Even when it's possible to paint on a slack canvas, give yourself a break and re-stretch it-------your mark making will be more crisp and more accurate.

So here it be as of this afternoon:













I still haven't attempted to make the water correspond with sky. The main tree is painted in a very "bitty" way, and must be consolidated and simplified in the days to come (in French I think that "bitty" might be en miettes). That, and much else remains to be done. The careful observer will be able to see what I worked on today, and what changes I made.

Cheers,
Donald

4 comments:

  1. Love the diagonals and the color so rich-

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  2. OK, I'll bite. How the heck did you restretch it wet!!?? I am working on a 54 x 72 right now that I'd love to restretch but it just seemed too..well, dangerous! :)

    PS. it's looking marvelous!

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    Replies
    1. Mme. Paris...I never stretch flat (even when it's an unpainted canvas), so it's not so bad. I just remove all the staples, save one in the middle of each side, and I start again. Requires doing two side from a step stool, but it's manageable. Drinking is NOT recommended while doing this.

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  3. Very beautiful and coming along,nicely!

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