Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Hotel at Dawn

Predawn, Denver, Gouache
We arrive after dark to our hotel in Denver, and I wake up early. Here's the view from my window as the dawn light comes up. I have only 20 minutes to work before the light changes too much.

I paint this in gouache over casein. The casein underpainting, painted before the trip, is a yellowish white. In the central area, the casein layer is thicker, but still thin enough that it doesn't crack.

Many of the small yellow lights are scratched with a scraper tool through the gouache, revealing the light yellow casein underneath. 
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4 comments:

A Colonel of Truth said...

The block-in makes for a strong painting. Interesting. Intriguing. Like your result (reminds me of painting sunrise in the Bahamas), James, but sometimes less is best. Ah, but how to recognize, how to know, when caught up painting? Elusive. Often, I fail.

HNK said...

Love your sketches! Keep up with your great work, James!

Gayle said...

Totally enjoying this virtual experience of travelling along with you on this trip!

Jack Dempsey said...

I just came off a few weeks of what I call "road camping." I did some ink and watercolor sketches, but I could not help but feel that I could have done more. Your narrative is giving me some ideas of how to focus better and be prepared for visual opportunities.