Saturday, April 10, 2010

Charleston Traffic Jam-10x8-SOLD

yesterday i left off after the darks where in. then once it soaked in and set up a bit, i mixed up all my lights on the palette so i could relate one to another. you ask questions like whats the lightest, whats the warmest, whats the most saturated, least. i usually mix the one i KNOW i can get right first, and then relate all the rest to that one. if that first one's wrong the others will be as well so i take my time on the first one.




SOLD

Here's the finished product. it has the dreamy look that charleston has when the light is coming over one side of the street like it is here.


i stuck it in the warm, dark frame with just a hint of gold around the fillet, i talked about yesterday, and i was so stoked about how it looked. really classy and expensive looking. cant wait to see this painting on the walls in the gallery hung up with all the others around it.


the best part of a show is the first time you see the 15-30 paintings youve been working on for months, after the gallery "hangs the show". you've been working on for these things a long time. each painting has its own life as a seperate thing, but then there's the dynamic of all these individual entities when theyre all hung up together, side-by-side, as a body of work. its hard to describe the feeling you get when you first see it. all that blood, sweat, and tears hanging up there for all to see. when the people come in and see em, will they love em, will they hate em, will they help me pay the electric company?

you want em to sell, have a nice home, but you hate to part with some of them. you feel like you accomplished what you set out to do on those gems, and you know you'll never see em again. but those are the ones that make living this crazy life as a painter so worth it.

6 comments:

Justin Holdren said...

Looks great Mike. It is awesome seeing your show hanging together and to see how the pieces complement each other. Hope you sell out at your show!

mike rooney studios said...

thanks justin!

Judy said...

Would it be advantageous to tone the canvases with a colored gesso when I am making my canvases? Could I use one universal color for all canvases or should I taylor the color to each scene?

Tracy Bell said...

Go man go!! I am so proud to know you. The extra time really is working. This one is rich!!

A Painter's Journal said...

All the best for the show Mike. I am working towards my first one this year... and can't wait to have that feeling of accomplishment. I miss Charleston. Your painting captures it beautifully. Makes me want to visit.

mike rooney studios said...

thanks tracy!

robin- isnt charleston great? love to paint there every chance i get. its got water, architecture, carriages, and a great vibe. good luck on your first show. sell em all!