Back to reality!

After all my little side excursions, I still had some unfinished business, my failed Venice commission.  So with a fresh canvas, along with a great sunny day, makes for wonderful painting conditions.....game is back on!

Commission painting is meant for above the mantle in this lovely new ocean front home. 

Fabric sample......a commission must..:=)

FIRST SESSION

892-1a Skyline established

892-1b

There are some cloud details I can do better with a dry canvas so I'll let the sky dry and work on the lower section tomorrow.  Nice thing about a large canvas, there's always someplace dry to work.

SECOND SESSION

982-2a (interior grey day shot)

My second session went well, a full 8-hour day with about the same lighting conditions as the day before.....bright and sunny! As you can see I have the lower section covered. All my key elements are in place. As planned, I allowed drying time for my sky, being very careful not to disturb it while painting in the buildings. Its useful if both are dry before merging.......especially in a situation like here, where a wrong move could destroy a good passage with no recourse.

After sleeping on it, I know my salute is under-scaled in relationship to my other buildings and my original painting. I didn't really work much on it other than blocking it out.....glad now, otherwise this would be a repaint, something I don't want in this painting. 

THIRD SESSION

892-3 (outdoor shot)

Even though our day was very grey, my session stayed on track....still leaving my original session sky alone I worked on mist and fog merging into my water. I did increase the Salute mass....perhaps still not enough. Tomorrow should be my last session, the last 15-minutes, the moves that count...or escape us! Dry canvas will help a bit in latter..:=)

FOURTH SESSION

892 Venetian Mist 48x44 oil on linen (2-26-14)

 Not exactly my final day, as it turned out - a few things stood out and required a little further noodling.

FIFTH & FINAL SESSION

892 Merging of light and Water 48x44 oil on linen (2-27-14)

 Detail

 My final day was more about how it reads 30 to 100 feet away. The important "first impression" test. A completed paint is required to pass. Studying and making a few marks here and there....messing with the Salute, just generally softening edges, punctuating important details or perhaps reducing one trying to take center stage.

NOTE: There does seem to be a common truth in this business. The majority of the buyers, if not all, are first looking for art to decorate an important wall, we as artists endeavor to supply it.......if we are lucky, they grow to appreciate it, become collectors of our work and by default called collectors!

Love collecting them and their best walls! 

Later...