The Three Tenors--Small to Large

Here's the inspiration. . .

 

The 8 inch by 10 inch sketch. . .

 

Three Tenors almost done. . .

 

And finally with the lively red frosting (red water squiggles).

 

The Three Tenors 14 x 21

This was a fun painting to do. After a string of paintings that seemed to have a lot of struggles and thinking involved, these guys were pretty straight forward. I edited the image from the photo, edited some from the sketch, but the large painting was easy.

I always like to think about the process itself. As I did with the Great Blue Heron large version, I was pretty much copying the small sketch of the Three Tenors to a larger piece of paper. For me, as the artist, I feel the second version always lacks a little zest that comes with the spontaneity of the first time I paint anything. Do you see that as a viewer?

The advantage of the second time I paint something, many of the original problems have been solved and the painting process is much more precise. The act of painting is less exciting, but the product is better planned.

How do fellow artists feel about painting something more than once? I'd love to hear other's viewpoints on this.

To address the one painting a week, I've done it if I can count my sketch as last week's and the large Three Tenors as this week's. And even though it's only Tuesday, I'm busy with other things this week and am not sure how much studio time I'll get.

However, I have been doing other art related things. I gave an hour art talk at Willamette Oaks Retirement Home yesterday. The audience had quite a bit of art experience, including one fellow who had made his living with art and continues to paint in watercolors. They generated several interesting discussions throughout my time there.

I've also been framing quite a few pieces in preparation for my gallery hunt. It is amazing how great a painting looks with a good presentation of matting and framing.