The snow continues

After last week's spring snowfall, I thought it was time for a "snow" painting. Lest you think the above painting of glaciers is from my backyard, it isn't. (We did get a bit of snow but not that much.)

I have wanted to paint this scene since my trip to Antarctica December 2008. It has taken this long for the composition to coalesce.

Spring in Spokane

Yes, at 10:30 am this was the view from one of my second story windows. And it is snowing now.
I'm not sure the Hairy woodpecker was particularly impressed.

Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition

I just received word my painting In Prayer has been accepted into the Oil Painters of America National Exhibition. Out of more than 2100 entries, it is one of 200 oil paintings selected this year. I am honored. The painting is shown in progress below.

The show will be held at Evergreen Fine Art Gallery, Evergreen, CO and will run from June 22nd - July 21st, 2012.

Finished

In Prayer

12" X 24"

Original Oil

As I mentioned when I started posting this painting in progress (2/24), this piece was a stretch for me. While at times the process was daunting (the columns were certainly a challenge), the process was also rewarding. I felt like I was building this quiet space in the cathedral.

Salisbury Cathedral is one of the most beautiful buildings ever constructed. Cathedrals can give off an air of superiority, or coldness, or their size can generate a feeling of emptiness. Salisbury exudes an intimacy.
I first saw the cathedral when I was 18. We saw a lot of cathedrals in a 4 week period, but for me it was Salisbury that stood out among them. I wondered if I would feel the same visiting it last June. Not only was I just as impressed, but the new Baptismal font and the stained glass window in back of the altar revealed an active and responsive congregation. I hope my painting does justice to this magnificent place.

Make or Break

Now is the critical stage of the painting. The floor, the filtered light and the figure are essential elements to the mood and essence of the painting. If I can't pull those off, the painting becomes a tedious study of how to paint columns.
The floor patterns are coming together but already I see the floor is too light and needs more blues. The photo is on the warm side as I am taking it at about 3 am. (Yes, a long painting day/night.) All I have right now are halogen lights which will distort the colors. I plan to make the filtered light on the floor of the painting warmer than the light on the plinth.
As for the figure, I was talking with my dad, an Episcopalian clergyman. I told him I thought I would turn the man into a clergyman. Dad jokingly reminded me that only bishops can ordain. Well, I think I will use a little artistic license with this one.

Ceiling and Highlights

It is a little difficult to see in this photo but I have some interesting greens and teals in the ceiling. Once I finished the ceiling details, I moved to the highlights on the left side.
As usual my brighest whites are a mixture of titanium white with a dash of cadmium yellow deep.

Establishing Distance

You might think I have some grand reason for painting the back wall at this stage. No. Sorry to disappoint you. I am tired of being lost in the maze of columns and thought if I painted the light at the end of the "tunnel" I might see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Painting the back wall and adding the base for the left columns has helped give me some direction. The left columns are now complete except for the highlights. Working on the lower part of the right wall begins to give a greater dimension to the perspective.