A departure frm the abstract style, this painting was done last month at the Château Frontenac in Quebec City. It is of course a major North American tourist destination which provides incredible scenery for artists. On past trips to the Quebec City I have not attempted the Chateau because of the complexity and huge number of windows, but this time I just sat down and went for it. It was a feeling similar to when I was in Spain painting the great cathedrals. One thing that really helped was the heat and strong sun which made the paint dry fast. I was able to put down an undercoat of warm grey, let it dry, and then do the over coat of brick-colour. Meanwhile I built up the detail and volume using confident brushstrokes and deep layers of colour for shadows. It was a race against time of sorts because I was sitting in nearly full sun getting baked.... by the sun. It turned out pretty good, and for a small painting it really captures a lot of energy.
7.5x11" cold press. July 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment