WORK UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN MY STUDIO
During a recent trip to San Francisco for the 2019 Plein Air Convention I met up with my sister. I was lucky enough to catch a pic of her while she was in the giant picture window of a cafe. It struck me that the visual was like a Hopper painting, so that is the inspiration of my current work.
"Automat" Edward Hopper 1927 (Oil on canvas) |
"OPEN Cafe" Leslie Hamilton Original photograph source |
"Chop Suey" Edward Hopper 1929 (Oil on canvas) |
The down-side of using a "smart phone" is that it can fish-eye the shot and make everything slightly swollen in the scene.
I was unable to set up an easel and attempt a quick sketch or painting of the same shot, since it would have required me to stand in the middle of the street. They frown on that in Union Square. Back in the studio I'm using the photograph and adjusting the distortion. So...
The First Step: Planning
I decide what medium/s I will use, trying hard not to stall out from indecision. I'm going to make this water-based medium/s so that the drying time doesn't hang me up and I can really get in to the detail of my sister's features. It will go on a heavy Gesso-prepped linen art board.
Second Step: Execution
For my composition I'm considering tweaking the distortion of the giant picture window, making it parallel to the foreground. This is done by using a vellum overlay and redrafting the bottom of the window. What ever I do can always be altered as I work. After all, it's not carved in stone. It's detail is not a crucial part of the composition but it is a crucial element to bring the viewer's eyes in to the frame.
I was unable to set up an easel and attempt a quick sketch or painting of the same shot, since it would have required me to stand in the middle of the street. They frown on that in Union Square. Back in the studio I'm using the photograph and adjusting the distortion. So...
The First Step: Planning
I decide what medium/s I will use, trying hard not to stall out from indecision. I'm going to make this water-based medium/s so that the drying time doesn't hang me up and I can really get in to the detail of my sister's features. It will go on a heavy Gesso-prepped linen art board.
Second Step: Execution
For my composition I'm considering tweaking the distortion of the giant picture window, making it parallel to the foreground. This is done by using a vellum overlay and redrafting the bottom of the window. What ever I do can always be altered as I work. After all, it's not carved in stone. It's detail is not a crucial part of the composition but it is a crucial element to bring the viewer's eyes in to the frame.
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The original photograph was on a smart phone and very small. I've taken it up to 18 x 24" with the help of the large printer at FedEx and will be using a grid to map out the base sketch instead of a projector. Projectors have their place, but are limited to using them in the dark, the distance you can get to make the size right on the canvas and while you are "tracing" the image in place your body will block the projected image. You end up rendering in uncomfortable positions and there can be additional distortion.
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