Summer is a good season for mountain climbing. Warm and longer days make the challenge more manageable. However, depending on your expertise and the difficulty of the mountain, the climb can still be daunting.
Often I use my summer paintings to tackle new ideas and inspiration. In this painting, I'm climbing Everest! It is so challenging that it is difficult to see the summit.
So strap on your crampons and grab your parka. Up we go.
It was the Victoria & Albert Museum in London which inspired this painting. I was admiring the huge array of masters when I walked into a red room. Not only did the color of the wall thrill me, but the paintings were ones I could stare at all day. I knew I had to paint this room.
It is one thing to paint interiors, but a room full of master paintings? 14 of them? Was I crazy?
I decided to tackle this in stages.
Base camp.
First, paint the wall. It is just a red wall, right? Wrong. It is red, rose, orangey, maroon. I couldn't believe how one color can be so many.
Second, painting the gold frames. One of the unique aspects of this painting is how creative I have to be to pull it off, yet not alter reality. Each of these famous paintings has a particular frame. I couldn't just put on a frame that was easier to paint. I designated a separate palette for just different shades of yellow, yellow ochre and browns. There are also some reds, oranges and blues in the frames for reflections and ornate corners.
Often I use my summer paintings to tackle new ideas and inspiration. In this painting, I'm climbing Everest! It is so challenging that it is difficult to see the summit.
So strap on your crampons and grab your parka. Up we go.
It was the Victoria & Albert Museum in London which inspired this painting. I was admiring the huge array of masters when I walked into a red room. Not only did the color of the wall thrill me, but the paintings were ones I could stare at all day. I knew I had to paint this room.
It is one thing to paint interiors, but a room full of master paintings? 14 of them? Was I crazy?
I decided to tackle this in stages.
Base camp.
First, paint the wall. It is just a red wall, right? Wrong. It is red, rose, orangey, maroon. I couldn't believe how one color can be so many.
Second, painting the gold frames. One of the unique aspects of this painting is how creative I have to be to pull it off, yet not alter reality. Each of these famous paintings has a particular frame. I couldn't just put on a frame that was easier to paint. I designated a separate palette for just different shades of yellow, yellow ochre and browns. There are also some reds, oranges and blues in the frames for reflections and ornate corners.
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