We are in the full swing of the season here in Texas. And not only do I get to enjoy the burst of blooms in the garden, the swash of spring Bluebonnets are overflowing onto my canvas! The picture above was taken from our kitchen window. Please remember as you read through my blog, you can click on any of the images to see them larger.
I’m beginning another collaboration today. Susan and Russ definitely want a field covered in a blanket of Bluebonnets with an old barn in the distance. They had some fun requests: rocking chairs, a rooster, a faded Texas flag on the roof of the barn, windmill and sunflowers. I decided it would be inviting to have the rockers on a porch under a Wisteria covered pergola. The arm of the chair seemed the perfect place for Mr. Cock-a-Doodle-Do to perch!
The painting is going to be framed traditionally, so a standard canvas is mounted to a piece of 4-ply cardboard. To see how this was done on a similar piece CLICK HERE.
The initial sketch on the canvas is started by “building” the porch and pergola. Even though most of the top will eventually be covered by Wisteria I have to get the perspective of the structure correct. As in real construction the building must be done before it can be landscaped.
When I looked at the sketch in the mirror placed behind my easel I felt the opening between the upright support posts was too narrow. So I’ve widened it out. Next the old wooden rocking chairs are drawn using the same thin oil wash as the rest of the sketch.
Susan and Russ have a menagerie of “Rescue Babies”. After seeing the pen and ink sketch she wanted to include the young burros, Casper and Jazz. It was a lazy, warm morning and she could only get pictures of them snuggled down on the ground. I thought that would work in great, they could nestle in the Bluebonnets behind the Sunflowers! We’ll add a couple of their miniature horses in the background.
The faded Texas flag on the roof is washed in with thin mixes of Ultramarine Blue + Liquin and Alizarin Crimson + Liquin.
We’re all sketched in and ready to start applying paint in our next session. Hope you’ll come watch! If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!” It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!
Mikki Senkarik 
March 31, 2015 at 7:03 AM |
Love this Mikki. Can’t wait to follow along. Happy Spring.