Churchill Wild

Churchill Wild contacted me to do a blog post on my painting Ice Bear. The post generously turned in to an article on that painting and my experiences in their lodges. You can see their post below.

 Churchill Wild guest Linda Besse wins multiple awards for Seal River polar bear painting

 While you are on the Churchill Wild site, you will want to visit their Photo and Video Galleries which will give you an idea of how special this part of the world is. 

Thanks Churchill Wild for the great adventures!!!

Finished

 

                                    Buon Cibo, Buon Vino       Original Oil       24" X 21"

 Title translated from Italian.  Good Food, Good Wine

This painting took much longer than I anticipated. Was it worth it? Was it self-indulgent? Will it sell when most of my collectors expect wildlife art from me?

I think the questions are tied together.

One of the definitions of worth: good or important enough to justify.
Good for whom? Important for what?

I would have to say the painting was good for me. It certainly challenged me. The painting made me take my time and be deliberate with each brush stroke. Sometimes that meant being really loose with the paint to build a bin of lettuce and sometimes that meant more tighter control with lettering or wine bottles. In order to craft the concept of a more timeless store, I had to put aside reality in order to present authenticity. Plastic bins were “made” in to wooden ones, different shelves were created, a figure at the back of store and a modern scale were removed all to have the painting read as today’s market or one from the 1940's.

Was the painting self-indulgent? In the same length of time I could have completed 2 or 3 paintings.
I’d thought of doing a piece like this since 2013. Why did I wait so long? A decade ago I am not sure my skill set could have painted Buon Cibo, Buon Vino in just this way. I am glad I waited.
By pushing myself, I can transfer those techniques to my future paintings.

Will it sell? I have no idea. Is a painting only successful if it sells? I would hope not. It is hard for any artist to definitively know a painting will sell unless it is a commission (and even then there could be issues.) But, during a global pandemic, is it wise to stray from your usual genre? I don’t know. Maybe it is self-indulgent to paint whatever you want. But if one has passion for an idea, I think it is important to paint it.

More Vegetables and...

 

The peppers and zucchini were in bright blue plastic bins which I have transformed in to wooden crates.

And now for the reason this scene intrigued me, the wine bottles. 

 

Fruit and Vegetables

 Time to fill the produce boxes now that shelves are "built." 

The signs in Italian for the fruit add interesting depth. I like having them with a haphazard placement as if someone just naturally stuck them there.

And now, vegetables.

At this point, I am convinced that I could stock this entire store faster than painting it!  

While I often paint eight hours a day, after 4 or 5 hours on this piece I am calling it a day. The differing textures, the varying colors (some not used in my traditional wildlife pieces), and the detail requires intense concentration. I am also doing quite a bit of editing on the fly.

Building Shelves

 

Continuing with my plan to work on the structural elements first, I am building shelves.

 

 For the back of the store, I added horizontal spice racks to aid in the illusion of a specific depth to the store.

 

 The top of the wall at the back of the store was not reading well. I've changed it to a sage green which appears to be working.

And finally, time for some fruit and vegetables. Lots more produce on the way!

Moving inside the shop

 I'm going with the flow of the painting in deciding what sections to work on next. It seemed establishing the lower bench was logical. 

With the lower bench mostly completed, now I am playing with the back wall and the shadow from the bottles.

As I "move in" to the back of the shop, I am keeping my edges softer and the items less defined.

The Shop

 

 

The full text of the blue banner above this shop in Genoa is Bio - Soziglia. 

When I sealed my drawing with a turpentine wash, most of the wash was with raw sienna. For the inside of the shop, I used radiant yellow for the upper part of the wash and moved to a cadmium orange in the lower section. I am using the intensity of the wash to create a warm hot spot in the painting.

 

The walls under the banner were too light did not have the warmth I wanted so I have darkened them.

This painting will take a while with all the details. The different textures are intriguing to paint. Sometimes it is difficult to know where to start on a piece like this. I opted to work on the structural elements and supports before painting the contents of the boxes.

How big?

 

I hope 2021 greatly exceeds your expectations!

How big do I make this painting?

This is a question I often struggle with as I work on ideas for compositions. Some of the questions I ask are:

1.) At what size would this subject look best?

2.) Do I need a small, medium, or large painting to fill a gap in my available paintings?

3.) Have I done a number of small pieces and it is time for a larger one or visa versa?

4.) Where will the painting be going? Someone's home? Gallery? Show? and what size preferences or restrictions are in effect?

5.) If I don't have a set destination for the piece,  then what size do I feel like?

This next painting idea has been rolling around in my head since 2013. It is inspired by a visit to Genoa, Italy and a walk I took along narrow back streets populated with small merchant shops. There will be no animals in the piece and I have several new techniques I am eager to try.

Why paint it now? It is a new year and I'd like to start with something quite different. My three shows in the first quarter have been postponed so I have one painting slot of time available in which to experiment and "stretch my brushes."

What size did I decide upon? 24" X 21".  This is larger than I would normally use for a "try something different and complicated and use new techniques" painting. But, I have been nursing the idea for over 7 years. Time to be bold and usher in 2021 with gusto .... and a glass of wine!

Stay tuned.