The Finished Painting: The Grand Canyon (tonal variation 2)

day 4: the finished painting
OK, so these color tones look suspiciously similar to those in the first Grand Canyon painting, but with less saturation. Let's see what even warmer (orange) tones might produce in the next "Grand Canyon (tonal variation)"...

"The Grand Canyon (tonal variation 2)" is for sale:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/158426408/the-grand-canyon

The Grand Canyon (tonal variation 2)
8x10" original Oil Painting on Prepared Canvas Pad by puci

Photoshop Revisions: The Grand Canyon (tonal variations)

day 3: Creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
I may paint 4 smaller studies, or 4 more tonal variations at the usual 8x10" each; not sure yet. But I will under-paint each with different color tones.

Destination: The Grand Canyon (tonal variations)

day 2: Capturing the selected image
OK, so you already know what the selected image will be. But I've decided to crop it a bit closer-in.

Google Street Views: The Grand Canyon, tonal variations

day 1: Planning the destination
We're not leaving the Grand Canyon National Park quite yet. In fact, we're going to hike back to the very same spot as the previous set-of-posts.

In the real world, even the same spot on another day will look different; the light shifts, the clouds lift... (think Monet's haystacks). So, even though our Google Street Views travel destination will be the same, my resulting painting(s) won't be.

I'm excited to explore how color (tonal variations) affects light & mood re The Grand Canyon.

Monet's haystacks
(explorations on how light affects color)

Resting Up, 10

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
“It is better to travel well than to arrive." ~Buddah

The Finished Painting: The Grand Canyon!

day 4: the finished painting
In my 20's I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in the month of February and slept on the banks of the Colorado River. The Canyon was alive. I swear the river spoke. It was awesome! I met people who knew the Grand Canyon like home, because they had lived within it for years. One fellow hiker had forgotten his can-opener; I told him I'd find one for him when I got back to the top and throw it down... wonder if he ever found it.


"The Grand Canyon!" is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/157895036

The Grand Canyon
8x10" original oil painting (on prepared canvas) pad by puci

Photoshop Revisions: The Grand Canyon

day 3: Creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
This is still not "there", but the color tones are closer to those I want to use in the painting. The Grand Canyon is so vast that cropping it for the 8x10" size (my preferred size for now) was a bit of a challenge.

Destination: The Grand Canyon! USA

day 2: Capturing the selected image
Stunning views of the awesome Grand Canyon are visible with just about each turn of the switch-back trail. I captured several likely images to paint, but this one spoke of some certainty as to how I'd like the finished painting to look (hopefully).

Somehow I lost track of the particular trail I was on when I captured it though, which was a little disappointing because I wanted to relay that info to you. Well, I think it was from the South Kaibab Trail... (This place has the power of the Ancients!)

(Just heard: earlier today, a bolt of lightening fatally struck 2 adults/injured 1 boy on the LeFerve Overlook in the Kaibab National Forest, about 30 miles north of the Grand Canyon National Park. Loving thoughts to all involved.)

Google Image Capture of The Grand Canyon

Google Street Views: The Grand Canyon!

day 1: Planning the destination
Since we're already in the state of Arizona, let's go to the awesome Grand Canyon! and I don't mean TO the Grand Canyon, I mean IN the Grand Canyon. Yes, we can now take a virtual hike along the trails in the Grand Canyon, courtesy of those terrific camera people for Google Street Views! Very exciting!

So put your walking stick near the computer because we are about to embark on an amazing adventure. Salute! ~puci

http://www.laughingsquid.com/backpack-camera-system-brings-google-street-view-to-grand-canyon

Resting Up, 9

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” ~Aristotle

The Finished Painting: Dual Doors

day 4: the finished painting
Is it immodest to say that I've always loved this painting ;-)

"Dual Doors" is for sale: https://www.etsy.com/listing/157206707

"Dual Doors"
42 x 34" oil on prepared canvas by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Dual Doors

day 3: Creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
So, since I "cheated" with this Street View, I have no Photoshop revision to share because there is none...
But what you might be interested in seeing is the photo I took of "Dual Doors" back in October of 2001 (yes, just a month after "9-11"). This is the photo I referred to when painting. 

Isn't it amazing how similar these two photos are? If you examine the bottom left of the Goggle Street View photo, you'll see the image date of January 2012. So this is a 10+ year span of time between my photo and Google's! It appears as though time is irrelative in Jerome...

my photo of "Dual Doors" in Jerome, Arizona (October 2001)

Destination: Jerome, Arizona USA

day 2: Capturing the selected image
These are the "Dual Doors" that captured my attention when we ventured to the wonderful & wacky town of Jerome Arizona in the SouthWestern United States. And here they are on Google Maps, Street Views!

the Google Street View image of "Dual Doors" in Jerome, Arizona (January 2012)

Google Street Views: Witness Protection

day 1: Planning the destination
I'll be sort of "cheating" with this, the 9th Street Views set of posts. (Reason is because I'm barely keeping up with my custom portrait commissions due dates, so just don't have the time for a new "Street View A Day" right now.)

Anyway, the end result will be an oil painting I did many years ago, painted from a photo I took when in this area. The fun part is that I just found a Google Street View image that is very close to my own photo! So, it is sort of a backwards 5-step process.

Where are we going?
Hint:
~ It is a place in the United States.
~ It is a town built on the steep cliffs of an old copper mine now known to be home to people in the United States Federal Witness Protection Program.

Sounds intriguing, Right? This place is ...just that.

Resting Up, 8

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way --things I had no words for." 
~ Georgia O'Keefe

The Finished Painting: The Greensleeves of New Zealand

day 4: the finished painting
OK, so once again the passion-of-the-paints took over and the finished painting turned out quite different than the Photoshop composition (re: step 3/yesterday's post). It's fun to let loose and to just play with colors & shapes...

"The Greensleeves of New Zealand" is for sale: https://www.etsy.com/listing/156592306

"The Greensleeves of New Zealand"
6.5x10" oil on prepared canvas pad by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Otago, New Zealand

day 3: Creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
I flipped the image, added a bit of a road in the foreground (to help lead your eye into the scene) and moved the sheep around a little. The fence might disappear when I paint, and the larger tree on top of the mountain might reappear... but for now, we have lots going on with the green-sleeves of the grass, the shifting light, the sheep, etc.

Ever notice how the blue sky is lighter with a more cerulean hue near the horizon and a deeper ultramarine hue near the zenith? Simply stated, it has to do with the way the light is scattered across the sky by the time our eyes perceive it.

Destination: Otago, New Zealand

day 2: Capturing the selected image
Bet you thought we were going to England, didn't you (re "Greensleeves")? Yet here we are in New Zealand! but with "green" still the theme of this trip.

Google Street Views: Greensleeves

day 1: Planning the destination
I feel the need for some green pastures. And a song is coming on...

 listen to the song here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Greensleeves.ogg

Resting Up, 7

day 5: a day (or more) of rest

quote courtesy of iQuotesFamous.com
(a man or woman travels... in search of what he/she needs...)

The Finished Painting: SANTA CATARINA

day 4: the finished painting
Somehow an imaginary storm swept through my art studio as I was painting "Santa Catarina" (perhaps a reflection of the current state of affairs in much of Mexico...?) and I decided to ride it out by creating a stark contrast between the sky and clothes/fabrics on the lines, reminiscent of those rare moments when the sun breaks through the dark clouds to illuminate select objects. Creating movement was also of course important, and the 3 poles are meant to allude to masts of a ship being tossed at sea.

Sorry, "Santa Catarina" is for sale/sold

Santa Catarina
8x10" oil on 1/4" thick prepared hardwood panel by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Santa Catarina, Mexico

day 3: Creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
The colorful clothes catching the breeze captured my attention immediately, so I zoomed way in. Although zooming in compromises lots of clarity in this photo, the advantage is that I will be forced to compensate by painting with more fervor & personal expression (a valuable discipline).

Destination: Santa Catarina, Mexico

day 2: Capturing the selected image
We landed in north-east Mexico, on a hill in the city of Santa Catarina. It's a warm, blustery day in June. The clothes on the line wave in the open air.

Santa Catarina is a city in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico.
population: approx. 226,000
elevation: 2,231 feet
geographical size: 380 square miles

Google Street Views: Mexico

day 1: Planning the destination
We'll be going back&forth, up&down and all around our beautiful planet. But for now, let's head on over to ... Mexico.

For those of you who just can't decide where in the world to go, here's a fun way to travel:
• click on this link: http://www.mapcrunch.com/
• look to the right to find a list of available countries
• move your mouse over those countries
• pick one by clicking on it; click "Go!" and you'll be plopped down ...somewhere in that country

If you're new to Goggle Street Views, here's some basic stuff to help you get around:
~ to move in a straight line: click on one of the arrows on the ground or click on the circle that should appear in the distance. (btw, moving forward via this site is very slow-going!)
~ to go North, South, East or West: grab the "N" (upper left) with your mouse and move it in a circle
~ to zoom in or out: click on the + or -

Have fun! Comment about your experiences on this blog if you like. Salute! ~puci

Resting Up, 6

day 5: day (or more) of rest

quote: courtesy of www.iQuotesFamous.com

The Finished Painting: GATTA!

day 4: The finished painting
When I sat in front of the easel, I knew I wanted a fresh and spontaneous look. It happened quickly.

"GATTA!" is for sale: https://www.etsy.com/listing/155334914

"GATTA!" 8x10" Oil on Prepared Linen Pad by puci