Up Next....a painting of Surry, Maine...I just need to get my current painting done first! This is the view from Perry's Lobster Shack! Below is my dad and I goofing off after a long day's work (Thanks DAD!)
Tonight I finally got moving on my lobsterman painting. I've wanted to get him sketched out for going on two months here, but as unlikely as it sounds, it takes a good two hours to put down a good free-hand sketch. Getting the dimensions correct on such a large canvas without mapping it out on a graph kinda thing is really hard. I had to go over my lines several times and guesstimate the size of the primary objects in the composition.
For instance, at first, the poor guy had a huge butt and tiny hands. Ugh. Not good. Then I made his fingers bigger and his arms looked too skinny. Again, not what I'm shooting for. If you've ever seen a real live lobsterman, you'll notice they are pretty stinking solid...like a tree trunk, but in a good way...not chubby, just thick. And I need to admit that I love the fact that most of them have beards, which I'm a huge fan of...the bushier the better! I wish my Honey would grow one for me...
So, you'll see the underpainting is in two layers. I sketched with a blue sharpie, and I'm hoping my lines will schmear all over when I add soupy paint to it...
I've been wound up tighter than I'd like to admit for months now and have decided to turn to alcohol to relax. Is that bad?
I needed to lighten up to sketch tonight and this nice, light rose from Lodi really did help. I grabbed a bottle last night at World Market (a two-hour one-way drive!) when I went to pick up some items for the cottage, including four 24x24 floor pillows, in teal for only $7.50 each! They also had some great throw pillows as well and unique coat hooks crafted of metal then painted white and distressed. Hey, for six bucks each, I'm all in.
In addition, I snagged some gorgeous knobs at Anthropologie to put on a maple dresser for the cottage that was accidentally dropped when getting it out of my pick up and the thing didn't even flinch! Made in America, Baby! I'll need to sand down the back edge that took the hit, but this dresser is the King Kong of dressers. Almost as solid as a Maine lobsterman! I'm going back up to Maine in two weeks to finish up that cottage that has commandeered my life since November. Can't wait!!!
Anyhow, tomorrow I'll have some color on this canvas for you to critique (please be nice!). I hope to have it done by the end of the week so that it can cure long enough to safely drive thirteen (or fifteen depending on NYC and Boston traffic) hours to Maine in the back of the pick up. If you see me and my thirteen-year-old driving up 95 with a dresser and a big painting in the back, make sure you honk!