Historic Flour and Grain Exchange (aka. Downtown Rooftops)

The historic old building shown in the painting was Boston's Flour and Grain Exchange Building.   In today's modern skyline, it is dwarfed by towering skyscrapers, but not one can compare with the grace and grandeur of this rock-faced masonry building.   Originally a meeting hall for the Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Exchange was built on land donated by streetcar magnate Henry M. Whitney and completed in 1892. Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge designed the masonry and tiered arches which exemplify the Romanesque Revival style associated with H.H. Richardson. The sturdy walls and elaborate design reflected an expression of flourishing financial security appropriate to the city's commercial circles. The exterior was restored by Beal Companies in 1988.

Downtown Rooftops

The magnificent architecture grabbed my attention each time I looked out the window of the fifth floor of Boston's Downtown Hilton.  Since I had a perfect vantage point for a painting, here it is!

I was striving for architectural accuracy in the painting; no improvisation on my part would make this building more beautiful, but it was tedious to stay true.   In the distance were the Tobin Bridge, the North End, and Cambridge Street.   It was a cloudy day so there was less contrast than if it had been sunny with deep architectural shadows.

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More Rock Formations

More Rock Formations - In Progress

Rock Formations and More Crashing Surf

This is the first of two paintings done on a beautiful day in October.   I was painting out with a group of five other New England plein air painters.  The rock formations we saw at Beavertail Light in Jamestown, RI were comprised of layers of shale and coal that are common in the Narragansett Bay area.   I liked the rugged look of the rocky layers that had been worn down from the pounding surf.  The tidal pools were helpful painting elements because they could be situated to enhance the painting design.  In this painting I think they helped create a stronger abstract design quality.



Bridge and Cedar

Bridge and Cedar - In Progress

"Free, Fun, Fridays" is the name of a program in the Greater Boston for which many organizations and "not-for-profits" offer complimentary admissions/passes.  We took advantage of the free parking at World's End in Hingham this past Friday.  We hiked the trails and saw amazing views of the Boston skyline and then we settled in at a picturesque spot to paint.

A mature, old cedar near the entrance caught my eye, but I also liked the bridge which crosses over the outlet from the Damde Meadows Tidal Marsh.  I found a spot where I could include both of these nice features in my painting design. 



Bridge and Cedar World's End

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Harpist at Cliffs of Moher

While in Ireland, we visited the Cliffs of Moher along the western coastline.  The cliffs tower 600-700 feet above the ocean, an unforgettable sight.   I posted a painting of the cliffs in an earlier blog, and I didn't want to forget about this scene as well.   A harp player was set up on the approach to the cliff paths.  Her music filled the air with its sweet sound, and it provided a dreamy backdrop (as if the sight of the cliffs was not incredible enough.)

Irish Harpist

It was a bit chilly and windy, and the harpist was dressed in layers.   She wore long black fingerless gloves, a black sweater with pleated bell sleeves, a fitted, short, dark plum-colored jacket with matching billowy full skirt.  And finally, as a top layer, she wore a dramatic full length red satin lined black cape.  The outfit seemed a perfect match for both the place and instrument.

For the painting to work, I tried to be conscious of the weighting of the composition.  The armature's flow started down in the lower left corner and made a diagonal up to the harpist's chin.    The curved top of the harp swung down and then up to her face as well.   With the lines converging on the face, I was conflicted about which element should be the center of interest.  The positioning of the fingers was what I really liked best.   They looked prominent, strong and nimble.   I thought they ought to take precedence even over her face.    At this almost-finished point, I welcome any comments on these
two areas of interest (face and fingers), or anything else for that matter.

Ennis, Ireland

Ennis Downtown Underpainting

This painting depicts a beautiful, rustic street scene of picturesque Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. We landed in Shannon in the morning, drove to Ennis and checked into our B&B.   We had no specific ties to Ennis; our plan was to get acclimated to the timezone, driving on the left, and just generally get settled before venturing out on our more lengthy travels.

Ennis is a thriving community with a quaint town center depicted in this painting.  We walked this stretch of the main street several times during our visit. The St. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church anchors one end of the center, and the Ennis Friary, which dates back to the late thirteenth century anchors the other.

Ennis Street at Dusk - Stage 1

I liked the armature of this painting.   The dynamic diagonals point from the edges of the scene to the center of interest.    I wanted the viewer to follow the car into the street, look to its left to see the bright red pub, then look up to the end of the street where St. Peter and Paul's Church steeple stretches up into the twilight sky.

The colorful and warm underpainting and broken paint effect represents the decades, even centuries, of paint that lie underneath the shops' painted facades.  Overflowing flower baskets were in full bloom everywhere.

Ennis Street at Dusk - Stage 2

The last element added, and one that made Ennis quite memorable was the addition of the blue and yellow pennant streamers that crisscrossed the street.   We learned that the banners of yellow and blue that we saw on every surface in town were hung in support of the County Clare hurling team, which had made it to the All-Ireland Hurling Championship.  The team was the underdog who would play the final against the strong favorite, County Cork.  All the excitement occurred during our trip, including the final match which we watched in a pub (result was a tie), so we now consider ourselves the world's newest hurling fans!

Fast forward to the repeat of the Championship Game, due to the initial tie...County Clare was the victor.   Ennis must have been rocking!

Figure in the Sunshine



Figure in the Sunlight - Studio Rework from Class Study

 
 




Our Figure in the Landscape class has been as good as I had hoped it would be.   We had a beautiful model who layered on her sunblock and dutifully sat in full sun so that we could observe and record the luminescence of her skin. 









I tried to predict the trajectory of the sun so that some nice shade would overtake the spot I chose to paint from.   Temperatures were rising quickly.   Well I didn't calculate very well I and spent most of the class standing in the sun with a sunlit canvas as well.    At least I could empathize with our poor model who was also melting, fully exposed to the sun too.   Essentially I came out of the class with a study.


Negative Version of Painting

When I got it home I saw several things that I wanted to improve. 
 I also thought that by studying the composition armature, I could improve the flow.   The photos show the sequence of what I did.








Negative, Upsidedown Armature

1) Converted the painting to black and white and then changed it to its negative in Photoshop, then turned it upsidedown. (I was thinking that seeing the painting abstractly with the figure as the darkest element would help see the armature more easily).









Negative, Upsidedown Armature with Spiral  Balancing Lines

 2) The armature seems like spirals so I added extra lines to expand the abstract design with more spirals.



Back to positive image with balancing spirals

 
 
3)  Changed the black and white back to positive state.  I liked how it looked from an abstract (weighting) perspective.     No matter which way I turned the canvas, it looked equally weighted.



4) Next the challenge was to figure out how to incorporate these line elements into my representational composition.    I did it with the landscape (branches and grasses).   




Here is the finished product.   The Naples Yellow grasses were my attempt at balancing the composition and creating pseudo spirals that echo the primary armature.

Cornsilk

                                                                                  





Red Trolley Revisited



Reader's Choice for Figure Placement

 



Upside Down Shows Line Flow

 



 

 

 

     I



Red Trolley - Boston Waterfront

In an earlier blog I put the question to readers as to the placement and selection of the figures in the downtown Boston Red Trolley painting.  Their were several options presented in which black silhouetted figures were temporarily placed on the painting and photographed to review the best impact on the composition.  The responses were varied and in analyzing them another option altogether has emerged.


Placement: Every response suggested an option wherein the center of interest figure(s) was placed in the  "southeast" sweet spot (envision a superimposed grid of thirds).     One reader verbalized the armature: the eye enters into the painting on the roof of the Marriott, travels down the building tiers on a diagonal, along the top of the trolley, down the rear of the trolley,  then intersects the vertical of the figure.    We can verify this placement by looking at the painting upside down.   The major lines point to that spot.



Size and importance:   Most responses chose a large figure(s) in the immediate foreground.   This option might be pleasing because it balances the large building in the background.   A couple of readers liked the baby carriage (a figurative trolley of mom and child), and one further suggested flipping that form around so that they are heading away from the busy scene. 




I played with that option and decided that the original baby carriage silhouette was too big and really belonged in the crosswalk, and hence would be smaller.  So as to still have some visual impact, I added the mother and father with a baby carriage, although I kept their colors muted, because in retrospect, it was the red trolley that I was originally attracted to.

They are probably heading to the Aquarium, don't you think?

Thank you to my readers for all the feedback!

 

 

Armature, Form and Color

Artist Diane Rappisi is known for her exciting, vibrant figure paintings.  I was lucky enough to take a workshop with her this week and it was a terrific experience.    It was efficiently run, fast paced and highly productive.   Ironically, "productive" does not mean I have even one completed painting to show for it as I did not attend all the days, but I came away with much, albeit intangible.



Color Study I

The first segment focussed on sharpening our powers of observation and quick draw skills.   With a stick of charcoal in one hand and a Viva paper towel in the other, we stood in front of our easels facing a large sheet of charcoal paper.  The live nude model was instructed to change her pose every 30 seconds for a stretch of about 10-15 minutes at a time.    Our challenge was to capture the pose with accurate angles and a minimal number of lines.  Each time the model changed position, we wiped off the sheet with the paper towel, getting back to a blank sheet.    With each subsequent session of this drill, it became easier and - I believe - more accurate.  Once in the groove of repeatedly and boldly covering the large sheet with long limb lines, the thirty seconds actually seemed too long.  I loved it and felt absolutely energized by the exercise.


Color Study II

The second segment didn't come quite as easily.   The goal was to build upon armature lines with charcoal as in the first segment, and then to build shapes around the armature giving it a three dimensional volume.   The model's poses were longer so that we could apply volume to the armature via boxes and cylinders.  With large simple shapes and shading, the form started to look like a human form.   I have no in-progress photos for the first two exercises - no time!



Color Study III

The next workshop segment and the last one that I was able to attend, was all about color.   Diane designed a scene by erecting swatches of colorful fabric so that they surrounded the live model.   The challenge was to paint a series of color splotches on the canvas that accurately represented the dominant colors, their shadow colors and in particular, the fleshones of the model.    We were to nudge the colors back and forth so that the relationships were accurate with respect to color and value, without worrying about an accurate drawing.   Playing with just the color was liberating and took away the over-thinking that can get me bogged down.  It almost felt like cheating not to work toward a representational outcome, but it was a very enlightening drill. 

I look forward to the next time I can take instruction with this wonderful artist and teacher.