It's (mostly) Official...

Well, there it is  -

The signature means I'm done.  Really, I could probably tweak something here and there forever, but I realize that must stop somewhere.  Maybe I'll be caught making an adjustment in the middle of the night under cover of darkness, but for now I'm content with the end product.

I did add a lupin-type flower to the tabletop for added color and visual interest.

I also added some of a dull reddish color to the hillsides - I color I remember seeing when I was in the "observation" stages of the mural.  I wanted to add another layer of color to the first 2 panels without going overboard - the rest of the mural is vibrant and busy enough and the first panels are intended to contrast that energy with the more bucolic setting of the fields.

A ruddy red on parts of some of the upper hillsides

Now, I will begin the layers of exterior varnish and Voila!  It's off to the city it goes...

Letters and Leaves...

Spent a good part of today kneeling and lying on the garage floor painting...and repainting...letters.

I think I already mentioned that I wasn't excited about painting letters and, yes, I did overfuss it.  The more I tried to refine the letters, the less I liked them (and the more they seemed to draw attention away from the mural).  In the end, I went back to fairly loose letters (sans serif).  The title simply reads:  Celebrate the Harvest - Santa Maria Valley (across the bottom of 3 panels)

I also worked on detailing the leaves around the pumpkins and building a little more contrast in that area.

Now, I'm a little more excited about working on the mural again.  I will be moving some panels tonmorrow to (finally) detail the field beneath the wave.  There'll be a little bit of greenery and some dots of red (strawberries) to pull a teensy bit more color into those first two panels.

At least I won't have to lay on the floor for the next phase!

Finally, Some Pictures...

Well, not only did the laptop get a virus, but the charger ceased charging.  Then, the desktop computer got a really nasty virus, rendering it useless.  And, on a sad note, my fathe- in-law, Robert Smith, passed away last weekend.  Needless to say, no mural progress worth noting has happened...that is, until now.

Little details have been my focus - the bottle and wine glasses...

...the swirled hair and curling vines on the Dionysus character...

...and the vines reaching across the top of the arch.

Now, I've started some lettering along the bottom (the mural's title) and I'll show that when I've worked out some kinks.   One thing I've realized is that I really don't like doing the lettering.  Since it's along the bottom, I have to be down low on the floor and it gets uncomfortable quickly.  Also, I tend to overfuss letters, so it can be tedious. 

The only thing after that is the field beneath the wave - I have to line up the panels in order to put in the plants and some dots of red strawberries.

The Studio Photo-Bomber Strikes Again!

Summer is running out, so I'd really like to be done and work on some personal projects for a change.  Unfortunately, I don't think much of that will happen.  So, finishing the mural will be my summer goal.

Solving Problems...

I'm REALLY glad that the mural is being painted on panels which allows me to work in the garage around my schedule during odd hours!  I don't feel rushed, yet I feel like I'm still getting things accomplished (even with daytime demands).

This evening, I played around with the grape colors, bringing them closer to what I want.  I still need to build up layers and values.

Before

After

I also worked out a couple of issues with the figures - particularly the man.  I dealt with the NCS, or Narrow Chin Syndrome, as well as the Big-Footitis that he suffered from.  He really had too much heel - the heel was more profile while the front of the foot was more 3/4 view.  Anyway, he's been healed - Hallelujah!  (And "heeled," I guess).

A Strawberry Day...

This has certainly been a productive couple of days with many hours in the garage - looks like I'll have one more fairly full day tomorrow (with time out to teach an art class in the afternoon).  Then, it's off to the next round of State Cup games out of town followed by back-to-school Monday.  I have to say that it sure has been nice to just focus on this project for at least a little while.

I had a little help today - my daughter Joley really wanted to paint something.  There really isn't much for someone else to come in and do, but I let her lay down a base coat of yellow on the girl's dress and the strawberry blossoms.  

Much of today was spent working out the strawberry leaves - there was A LOT of overlapping shapes and values to work out - very time consuming (but, then again, I love detail work).

I'm still figuring out the greens.  I wasn't happy with the cauliflower and broccoli - much too blue once I got the warmer strawberry and grape leaves in there.  I always tell my students that color is relative - you may think it looks a certain way until you put more colors next to it.