Been painting things lately just because I want to, so why am I painting Sawtooth?
I began this painting because there is a messed up wall in the foyer at church where I hung a large painting of Sawtooth with lots of wildflowers just to cover the mess. The woman who keeps things looking good in that department asked if I had anything fall-like to replace the summer painting.
No.
Then I got to thinking about some of the beautiful scenes of Mineral King in the fall, and wondering why I haven’t painted many. The answer is sales; people visit in summer, and if they buy paintings, it is because it represents their experience.
Since I have no upcoming gallery shows or boutiques and only a couple of conversations about possible pencil commissions, I have time to paint whatever I want.
Okay then, I want to paint a fall scene to cover up an ugly wall in my church foyer. (If anyone else shows up with a nice poster or painting to cover that wall, I will gladly concede that space to him.)
The photo directing this painting doesn’t have Sawtooth because you can’t see Sawtooth from this angle at this location. But it’s my painting, and frankly, I can only think of one person who would think about that and question my accuracy. (Looking at you, SD!)
Enough blather. Look at what I accomplished in one day of painting. (Oh-oh, might hurt my arm with that self-back-patting again.)
I think I can finish this in two more sessions.
In case you were wondering, I deviated from my normal back-to-front, top-to-bottom approach. The upper parts are too hard to reach (24 x 30″, sitting on a table 36″ above the floor with an addition 6″ of easel = 6′). I can reach this but not for detail, and remember that my arm is tired from patting myself on the back.
As they are wont to do, my feet started bothering me, so I painted what I could reach while sitting. This gave the opportunity to dive into detail, drawing with my paintbrush—my favorite approach.
4 Comments
I really enjoy these progression posts where we get to see your creative process at work and how a finished work of art comes together. Truly fascinating.
Thank you, Elisabeth! I sometimes wonder if they are the equivalent of listening to the grass grow, or, of course, watching paint dry.
It’s looking gorgeous! I love a fall scene. And artistic license is where a lot of magic can happen.
But, oh dear, I didn’t get the email about this post today. I even checked my spam folder. I saw it when I opened the Feedly app.
Hey Michelle, thank you for checking in. This repair may take awhile. And thank you for your kind words about my painting. I’m liking it quite a bit, which doesn’t always happen!