My awesome painter-friend Francis hosted a plein air event at Pier 57 today, free and open to the public.
he did this a few years back and I joined then, too... I think I have improved considerably since the last time I painted on the roof at pier 57! Three years ago, wow...
Anyhow, I was originally aiming to be there at 9, but I was slow this morning so 9 changed to 10 which was fine.
The closest train for me is the E to 14th street.
When I went to transfer, I saw there was a 10 minute wait for the E... I know if I stay on the R I would be at Union Square in a half hour. Then I could just transfer to the L.
Time-wise it would come out to the same thing probably, but I didn't feel like waiting.
So I stayed on the R and all was fine until 49th st.
Then we pulled partially into the station and sat.
We sat for a long time.
I should mention at this point that I finished Tea Part 2 right before I left, and figured I had just enough travel time budgeted to not need the restroom until I got to Pier 57.
So, we sat halfway in the station.
I was getting nervous.... the tea was starting to hit....
After more waiting, we finally pulled into the station! Phew!
And then the train went out of service.
There was a Q train in 12 minutes with delays.
With a platform FULL of evicted-train people.
I definitely wasn't going to make it.
The best plan I could think of was get out of the train, walk east to Rockefeller Center, use the restroom, and get on the train downtown from there.
Maybe the F was working, we can hope.....
FWIW the E train also started reporting significant delays.
So, I had no regrets. Whichever way, I would be messed up.
And that's what I did, and this is why I wasn't painting until 11:30 with a stop time between 2:30 and 3.
*******
I liked the pilings in the water under Little Island.
The first time I did the initial layout, it was a bust.
I had to wipe it and start over, and that was the best decision of the entire painting.
Get it right from the start- otherwise there's no fixing it.
So- this is a very ambitious and complex composition.
It really is.
On an 8x10 panel, which is actually more difficult than if it was larger.
And I didn't want to do a drawing.
Well, not a line drawing layout.
Lately I'm working a lot with large masses and midtones, holding those tight value ranges before getting too light or too dark. At-tube consistency paint, lots of hog bristle brushes. (Rosemary Ultimates)
It's a mind-shift, a gradual one, and it's a good one but it takes a lot of practice.
I'm evolving and improving, I really can feel it, I can feel the ways in which I think are changing.
And after all, a painting is made up of thoughts.
I don't want to make a fiddly drawing and fill in lines, that's not how I paint and it's not fun.
So I massed in the large shapes- which is easy to do in pure landscape and distant skylines but applying it to this painting was somehow different.
Also, I always lay in the sky first and today I did not.
(It was only slightly problematic)
This is a three hour painting, and for about 2 1/2 of those hours I was wondering what the hell I got myself into, I'm in trouble, how do I keep this from disaster?
It finally came together and I learned a lot doing it.
8x10 oil
