Back Street, Bellows Falls

Back Street, Bellows Falls, 20" x 16", UART 320

Back Street, Bellows Falls, 20″ x 16″, UART 320

Happy New Years (I think!)  Not sure what the coming year will be like, but at least I can spend a good part of it painting with my friends.  I recently spent time in the studio prior to beginning classes this week. Actually, I spent innauguration day in the studio doing the underpainting for this!  I decided that I needed bright cheery colors and I had two new sets of Caran d’ache hard pastel “cubes” so I used them almost exclusively for the underpainting.

A neighbor came in after I had completed the underpainting and told me I should stop right there and not do anything else. But, of course, I couldn’t do that! But I tried to keep the happy feeling of the place, even though it was an overcast day.  I also was trying to make this painting a little more stylized and not quite so real. I kept the buildings and fire escape on the left fairly simple, but had to add a lot of detail on the right. I also worked at keeping the cars blocky and undetailed.

I brought the picture to a critique session and the original photo blew away!  Then I realized that I hadn’t added the wires, which I really liked in the photo, as they connected the two buildings. So I added them with no reference. They might be a little low, but I think they work (???)

The color palate is pretty much red, green and violate with a few more neutral colors. I started with a lot of violet in the sky, then added more light yellow and orange to the bottom to brighten it up. I kind of liked the flat orange, but …

Any comments will be greatly received!

Underpainting

Underpainting

4 thoughts on “Back Street, Bellows Falls

  1. I love the way you handled the cars, and the whole right side of the painting. the sense of distance in the sidewalk and road are wonderful. I am having a little trouble with the left side because the pink door, and to some extent the coral building in the back, catch my eye and hold me there. They seem a little too intense for the unity of this lovely painting, but maybe that is my monitor. Thanks for sharing your work. Carmela

    • Thanks so much Carmela. Very legitimate comments. The door is too bright and so is the back building. Part of that is the digital photography, but I also think that part of it is the painting. I think that both need to be “laid down” a bit! The door is also quite large in comparison to the cars. It is really a boarded up window I think but due to its size, looks more like a door. Jean

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