Now it's time for a motif, which I have already saved years ago in my collection. The cover photo of the album 'Days like this' by the Irish musician Van Morrison, which was released in 1995. The music of this album has not left a lasting impression on me but I find the shot on the album cover awesome. Again and again I have thought about whether I am already capable of converting this motif into a painting of my own, so that it can qualitatively stand up to the photo original. With the strong impulses that I have received through the paintings of Keita Morimoto, I would now at least dare to try.
Format: 100/100 cm, painting surface: smooth canvas primed
09.01.2022: I am going to base the color concept for this motif on the contrast of sunflower yellow/Prussian blue. The mixed tones of these two colors will also bring beautiful green tones into the painting. First, I prime the canvas in a pale yellow. Next, I mark some dark areas of the subject with color spray in dark blue and purple. With purple I want to bring an additional color into the painting without using pure red for it.
15./16.01.2022: Next comes a layer of color in glazing green with a wide brush on a wet base, especially for the sky and the foreground. I let this layer dry before I define the darkest parts of the painting more precisely with the paint roller and a dark blue-green. This defines the rough concept of this picture. The rest is now detail work.
19.01.2022: My orientation aids, which I have set myself with oil pastels, have been covered by the dark layers of paint. To give the violet a firm place in the painting, I therefore decide to trace some important contours and fixed points with violet. Afterwards I dare to work on the light parts of the picture, the two dogs as well as the figures in the background. The fabric of the woman's dress is already very airy due to the blurring of the green color on the yellow ground. I would actually like to keep this detail and save it into the finished painting. Unfortunately, however, the hue and brightness value are not quite right. Let's see what can be done with it...
21.01.2022: Today I'm dealing entirely with the dark parts of the painting, the hard drop shadows of the dogs and the two figures in the background - all in dark Prussian blue, sometimes lightly mixed with yellow or red. I am careful not to destroy the atmosphere of the picture. I find this already very coherent...
26.01.2022: In general, I think the painting is already quite coherent and I hesitate a bit with the next step. I want to put the dogs in the spotlight even more with a lighter shade, but in no case do I want to use pure white for this. I finally decide on a very light green.
28./30.01.2022: Detail work and preliminary completion of the painting. For once, this picture does not need a frame, because at the beginning I have already decided not to paint the motif all the way to the edge and thereby create a yellow border.
05.02.2022: As always, I hang a new painting in my living room and often when I go by, take a look at it and after a few days usually it becomes apparent whether for me the painting is completed or whether there are still places that are not yet coherent. So happened also with this painting. Today I have undertaken the painting again. In addition to some minor details on the two figures and the dogs, I was particularly disturbed by the golden yellow border. It was too dominant in color. I decided to dissolve the yellow of the frame a bit and bring it more in line with the image in terms of color by overpainting the border at some places in light shades of green and purple, which also appear in the painting. I think it's much more subtle now and blends in better with the painting.
06.02.2022: Another session today: I'm not yet satisfied with the faces of the two figures. Even though they are relatively small, it is important to me that the very different facial expressions are correct. From my point of view, they make up an essential part of the charm of this motif...
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