Old Car & Elevator

I knew that when I saw this image taken by Saskatchewan photographer Linda Kopp, that I had to paint it. For several weeks I 'painted it in my head' until one day I was ready to tackle it on canvas.

In the beginning: using a 28 x 22" canvas I covered the top half in warm colours; quin gold, ochre yellow and naples yellow, plus white - cadmium red and maroon on the bottom half.

Then came the sketch: using burnt sienna, I outlined the shapes, filling in some of the darker blocks of shadows. Not a bad days work at one of my regular TOSH volunteer days.

Filling in the colours: I did the easy stuff first, such as touching up the sky and painting the elevator. Next I worked on the car, spending a considerable amount of time, as I wanted it to be accurate.

The foreground with the tall grasses was FUN. I worked with vigour using a 1/2 inch flat brush blocking in colours and dabbing in the grass, not worrying about details. I just needed to give the 'impression' of tall grasses.

Finishing touches: mid-ground shapes, a few dabs of colour on the trees and little bits of bright colour throughout, brought it all together. I had to stop ... as I was in danger of overworking it!!

Now the hardest part: giving it a title??!!

Any suggestions?

Till Next Time ...

From the Prairies, to the West Coast and Beyond...

Susan