Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Window on Eggemoggin

Here are the beginnings of a new painting. I’m working from an image by photographer Douglas Wood, who shoots some beautiful scenes of Maine*. So much of his work captures the world of my novel, Story for a Shipwright, and I do so love reflections on glass…don't know how well I'll capture it here, (it remains to be seen if this makes a far better photographic image than watercolor interpretation). It will be a less intense work than my previous two paintings, which is a nice reprieve.


After transferring the sketch onto watercolor paper (I don’t sketch it out on the actual paper, which does not like erasures), I mask the boundaries with tape.

Since I want the reflected sky evenly gradated, I use masking fluid (brush on latex, that really messes up the brush) to keep the muntins free from paint.










Essentially, the sky is done. The reflected foreground will receive added detail.







*Seriously, you should check out his Website. He even has some evocative black and white shots of a workshop--makes me think of my novel, again.

6 comments:

  1. Great title! It's so cool that you're taking us through the process. Love it! Just one question. What are muntins?

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  2. Muntins, my dear Deb, are the little slats of wood that hold the edges of window panes within a sash. (Window jargin, learned from many years of remodeling old houses.

    And, Eggemoggin, in case you're wondering, is in reference to a place in Maine, called Eggemoggin Reach, in the vicinity of Penobscot Bay.

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  3. Wow, that's beautiful! I'll check out his site. :)

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  4. Thought you'd enjoy looking at Dougs work, Michelle. Makes me want to get out my camera for real!
    (same effect your work has on me)

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  5. Thanks for the intel Bridget! I was just bemoaning the fact that I hadn't learned anything new today :)

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  6. Look at me, being all informative--who'd have thunk it!

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