Mt. Timpanogos Temple commission: Part II

More work today on the temple painting. I want to work dark to light on the temple architecture so I'm blocking in the whole sillhoette in black/brown. I'm amazed at how long it's taking. It took me almost two days to trace the outline and fill it in. I'd mark a line, stop, measure it for plumb, repeated a thousand times...

The hardest part of this painting so far is the amount of time it's taking and the slow progress. My mind works so much faster than my hands. There is nothing free-flowing and botanical about architecture and if I'm off a 1/16" the whole thing is wrong. It's a challenge to keep the high level of concentration for so long that this is requiring. HOWEVER...when it's done, it'll be awesome. I'm taking the hours now to get the bones of the structure right and then at the end when the paint goes on, it'll be quick, correct, and fantastic looking.

Mt. Timpanogos Temple commission: Part I

Work began today on the commission of the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. My plan is to do everything behind the structure first with free brushstrokes, then build the structure in layers dark to light. We'll see how she goes!

Bumblebee

12x20" oils

sold

Bumblebee was finished today. Yellow tulips are fast becoming a favorite to paint, especially this variety with the red liner on the petals.

Mmmmm. Yummy.



Bumblebee - Part I

12x20" oils

in progress



Bumblebee was begun today. It already has a strong personality and I am trying as the artist to stay out of the way and put the paint where it wants to go.

Boom Truck Baby

 I've been commissioned to do a painting of the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. The finished piece will be 3x5'. I've been working with the client on possible view angles and it's come down to two possibilities, one being from the Southwest corner. This angle showcases the mountains in the background (including the temple's namesake) and the light playing well off of the architecture. Here's the catch: from the SW corner, one can barely see the temple because of the trees. Even if you're standing next to the temple with the trees behind you, the perspective of the temple is so extreme that the composition is horrible, like you're an ant looking up at the giant structure.

 Enter James and Shelby Arrington, my good friends and fellow artists. Last week they were on location with me and we were brainstorming  how to get around the tree trouble. Photoshop? Ix-nay. James thought of a boom truck. Yessss. So, thanks to Ron and Jesse Dean of A+ Affordable Tree Service and their boom truck, I got the shot I needed from the angle I needed. It was also a small miracle to have the weather window we did - January has been nothing but rain, clouds and hazy inversions blocking the view of the mountains.

I'm glad today is over with. Phew.

Jesse, my operator

Shelby, my documentor and fellow artist-friend 

...still wearing my kneepads, having just come from volleyball...what a day...

from the sidewalk, blocked by trees (but otherwise an awesome angle of the temple and mountains)

from the air, out of the blasted trees - cool huh!?

Now I have to do some cutting and pasting of the temple and mountains to bring the mountains back down to eye-level...the work begins. Check back to this blog in a few days to see what's happening next!