From sketches to a Mural

Trends come & go, & no two project is ever the same. That's why I've painted so many different things professionally. I was definitely getting more mural commissions back in the 90's, when the real estate market was booming. My most recent mural was a dream job. I get to paint a summer garden! Unlike commercial art, there's only one client I need to please. Working on a  mural is the closest thing to doing fine art. Still, alot of time was spend on submitting sketches for approval, before the actual painting starts on the job site...have brushes, will travel!

sample reference & sketches

more impressionistic for the underpainting

  this garden calls for more realistic rendering

SKETCHING CONNECTICUT RIVER

"Long Tidal River", the region's Native Americans called it when they first explored the "Connecticut" thousands of years ago. It starts from the Canadian Border. It then runs thru the heart of New England. I'm at the very end of the Connecticut River. The mighty river empties into Long Island Sound. The 410 miles journey ends here.

On my next post, I will talk about the steps for this plein-air sketch.

NEW ENGLAND BARN

Finishing up on a Summer garden with pastel. I like the immediate result with a few strokes of color.

WORK IN PROGRESS

after my time in NYC, it's nice to be back in my quiet studio, trying to focus with my endless work in progress!

SPRING PEEPERS

Sketching by any body of water can be very noisy. Spring Peepers are among the first frog to call in spring. Amazing chorus!

FLOWER POWER

Yes,  MAGNOLIA season came & went pretty fast in Greenwich, CT. I'm NOT painting fast enough to capture all these flowering trees and shrubs!

MORNING GLOW

Spring is definitely showing off its colors. The morning sun makes everything glow in the hills. With so many beautiful spring colors, it will be hard to decide what & where I want to sketch. Sometimes too much inspirations can confuse me.