Among the Sierra Nevada

One of my all-time favorite artists is Hudson River school painter, Albert Bierstadt. Bierstadt was a German-American who, during the late 1800's, travelled west and brought back imaginative compilations of the American landscape. His paintings are as dauntingly massive as the subjects he depicted. Among the Sierra Nevada, California measures in at over ten feet wide. I did a Bierstadt reproduction while in art school, it's a wonder why I haven't tapped his work for an alter until now. It's possible that the challenge of shrinking a ten foot painting to sixty-three millimeters was not something I wanted to take on until now.

As a bonus, I felt it appropriate to upload a 600dpi scan of this one. Right click, view in new window to check out some of the details.

I'll have a table at the SCG Invitational in Indianapolis this coming weekend. This alter will be on display and you're welcome to stop by and check it out in person. See you there!

I Never Metamorphosis I Didn't Like

This weekend I saw to another Dali commission based on his 1937 painting, Metamorphosis of Narcissus.

The client wanted to see some process photos and I was happy to oblige. After the initial drawing was inked in, I started with a light wash of all the colors to establish some values.

From there it's all about building up layers until everything's opaque; pushing the range of values. Believe it or not, a piece as detailed as this one is a full-day affair.

I worked all the larger area first, saving all the tiny details for last. Notice the lack of figures in the background, ants on the hand, crack in the thumbnail, etc.

And finally, all these steps together in sequence.

A metamorphosis indeed.