Hello Everyone,
This piece, Timeless Memory, was commissioned by members of the Park Board of the Depot on Main Avenue as a retirement gift for Bruce Johnson.
The depot is a beautiful building, so this request was received happily! I combined two photos, one of the depot and the one of the stage coach with the Clydesdale horses, to create this painting. As in almost every realistic rendition, there is a challenge. My challenge was the three dominant flagpoles in this piece. I chose to vary and blend them in. This was done with value and color. At times I made the flagpoles the same color as the background and at other times I contrasted them. By paying attention to the flagpoles, they blended well into the painting instead of sticking out.
For this painting the coloring was important. The main color of the building is brown, a member of the red family. You can see many changes in these colors from light to dark and from warm to cool. I selected this as a rhythmic pattern by changing the size of the color groupings. The window contrasted with their green frames which were also varied for interest. I love the paint quality in this piece. For the shingles I used a fun and simple method, painting in their shapes in water and lifting them with a paper towel.
Thank you for everyone that has been following my blog posts!
Please comment with any suggestions on paintings or subjects you would like to hear about.
Ellen