watercolor, 2019,
available, 11"x15"
Once upon a time, your spare tire was part of the elegance of your car. Painted fairly loosely to begin with, I made this one intentionally looser with a judicious addition of gesso even in unusual areas. I like the result enough that you'll probably see it again. A little white watercolor pencil helped with the spoke reflections.
watercolor, 2019
available, 11"x15"
Just an old Buick left to its own devices on the prairie. I used a little thinned gesso to knock back some of the color intensity in the bottom corners. I like the look of the gesso rather than just lifting with a wet brush. There's also a considerable amount of dry-brush to get the lightest grasses.
watercolor, 2018
available, 11"x15"
A classic Packard coupe in front of an old gas station. To emphasize the car as the focal point I added a wash of thin acrylic gesso over practically all of the background. Then I restated the lines with charcoal. In addition to making the realistically rendered car pop, this also reminds the viewer of the two-dimensional nature of the piece. While the focal point may look realistic, its environment is a barely-colored drawing.
That's the academic explanation. The truth of the matter is that I fully intended to paint the entire scene in watercolor relying on loose rendering to push the background "back." But, after nearly completing the painting I realized the deep shadow of the gas station portico completely overpowered the car. So, it had to go. There's more than one way to get a painting where you want it.
mixed, 2016
available, 11"x15"
Virtual Paintout is in Sri Lanka this month. I often have trouble finding images that appeal to me in some locations. But, given my affinity for vehicles, I had to do something with this obvious symbol of South Asian transportation. In almost every StreetView image you see at least one of these. I had a little fun with this one using John Lovett's technique of adding gesso to break up and lighten parts of the otherwise finished watercolor.
