a work in progress

I drew some lines for reference on the canvas and sketched in the dominant forms on each of the 15 canvasses using a thin mixture of cadmium red light and medium and referring to my gridded sketch for placement. These banch-y areas will ultimately be the chocolate brown my client wants to see in this piece, as will the inch and a half thick sides. I began working in the colors and forms to surround these branching areas and this picture show how I am stacking the canvasses to ensure continuity.
All the colors in this piece were selected by the client who gave me swatches in leather and paint chips. I did some preliminary color studies with the colors I had in the studio and ordered the paints I needed: red oxide, yellow oxide, pthalo blue, white, raw umber and burnt umber. I also picked up some gloss medium and retarder to slow the drying and allow me to do more blending on the canvas. When the paints arrived I declared myself a color genius as I mixed colors to match the swatches with great ease. I did then some more color studies and drew out the branching forms on my diagram, creating a composition which will draw the viewers eye upward to take in the 14′ painting and thus, hopefully, appreciate the beauty of the high ceilinged atrium. The painting will be viewed from three different levels, the ground floor, the landing on the stairwell, and the second floor. It is fun to work for a client with definite ideas about what they’d like and to know in advance where a painting will be displayed. It is interesting how having parameters creates a momentum for creative expression. This client was being considerate when she jokingly said she didn’t want to ask me to prostitute my art, but I really love working with a clear objective in mind. Years ago, while doing some sketches and color studies, a friend I did some custom paintings for said she didn’t want to tell me what she wanted so she wouldn’t interfere with my artistic process and then after I had completed one of the two paintings let me know it wasn’t what she had in mind. Her second piece went much better since she had then comminicated her desires for HER art. I learned a lot from that experience and have done a lot of commissioned pieces of furniture that meet my clients’ specific needs and vision. I ask more specific questions about color, location, desired impact, and use and sometimes view photos and color swatches. Working on a commissioned piece is a combination of creative problem solving, artistic vision, and good communication and it is a lot of fun.