Blog

The conversation continues.  Creating this large 24" x 48" painting of Hollister was rewarding on many levels.  Here is how the painting began and progressed.  This day, I confirmed wanting to make it 24" x 48" instead of a less rectangular 24" x 30", because the more rectangular shape was needed to fit in the more distant hills on the right.  The first step was "toning" the canvas with an overall wash of yellow ochre, one of my favorite colors for toning - neutral, yet warm.  Then I sketched in the basic shapes, to finalize where the mountain would be and how big:

  Next I blocked in the darker colors of the mountain, working to get the values (degree of light vs. dark) and hues that I want:

Continuing to block in colors, working out values and color relationships...

Next, I blocked in the clouds, giving them the subdued colors so they wouldn't take away from the mountain peaks being lit by a slanting sun:

It so happened that some clients came by the studio to see what I've been up to.  They were entranced by this painting, even in its very unfinished state and begged me to call them as soon as it was complete, so they would have first chance to see it.  What a thrill...

After the mountain and land were all blocked in, figured out and mostly painted in, I was ready to fill in the sky.  To do this, I wanted to be able to do the whole sky at once, so this is my palette with lots of paint mixed up for the different values in the clouds.  I love having lots of paint ready so I can just work on applying it to the canvas without having to stop to mix more!

The painting is complete!  How do I know?  Because it has been developing as I create it, and there comes a point when if I try to do more, what I'm doing doesn't make it better!  So the painting, in essence, is telling me it is done.  Sometimes it comes out a bit differently than I first envisioned, but it is a completed concept in it's own right and that's when I stop:

The minute I finished the painting, I called the excited couple, and they were coming right over to see it - but of all days, there was a road closure between their house & my studio, so we postponed to the next day.  When they saw it, they were breathless and enamored and purchased it on the spot! 

Is my conversation with Hollister Peak over?  No, I don't think so!  It has so many moods, and I'm inclined to attempt catching it when the fog is reaching to consume the peak.  But that is for another day...

Here are the clients with their new painting!  Thank you to Malcolm and Jan for taking my creations into your home.

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