2:15PM update: on the left below, how i left parade 27 yesterday afternoon. right: a few minutes ago. and beneath that, 2 details.
some whites that were unfinished bits that distracted the eye have been eliminated. an overall grey-ochre tone has been introduced to much of the floor area as well as the horizontal railing. as a result, when glancing at the painting, there is an immediate coherence and calm, allowing the eye to wander across the picture space unimpeded and creating a greater sense of falling into the vastness of the 2 levels of MOMA we are experiencing. the shadow of the large sculpture framing the left portion of the painting is somewhat darker and more pronounced. even, one might think, somewhat phallic. monet's water lilies, untouched since i first painted it on day one, sits sublimely over the entire composition, creating a second dream space (apart from the painting itself) of reflected water and acting as an anchor for the meandering dance of the sitting, standing, walking MOMA visitors.
in a painting like this, tone is all. even a slight departure form the overall grey-tan of the whole requires precision, such as the reds of the figures in the upper right. the little girl in the black top and pink skirt brings to mind rembrandt's large painting: night watch, in the rijksmuseum, with it's little girl smack in the middle of the night watchmen. at the time, the actual night watchmen's guild, who had commissioned rembrandt, were scandalized that an unknown little girl should steal the limelight. this incident cost rembrandt future commissions, and proved to be a turning point in his career; the start of a dry spell in his commissions and consequently, of financial difficulties.
the juniper tree outside my west facing studio door
as predicted the snow storm has arrived in the san luis valley and covers most of the state of colorado. it's supposed to continue into tonight and tomorrow. so far, we've got about 4", but that could easily increase to a foot or more.
i had thought this would mean i couldn't paint today due to poor natural light. but i forgot that the light reflecting off the freshly fallen snow on the ground and on the piñon pines and juniper outside my north windows reflects the light in a way that actually creates ideal painting conditions!
so off i go, a tad late and a tad tired from a lousy nights sleep, but..........
pics when they become available.