The Painting Spectrum - Expand Your Horizons Part One

   As I write this latest entry, I occasionally glance out the window and watch the falling snow. It has been a mild winter so far here in coastal Maine and this storm is no exception; the snow has been mixing with sleet as well as rain. I'm reminded of the quote; "In the depths of winter, I learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Albert Camus.

   My husband Dave and I performed all our usual Saturday errands earlier and a little more hurried this morning in order to be back home before the roads became too slick. I purchased a few magazines with the intention of spending a dreamy afternoon making collages. At this juncture, I have already flipped through the somewhat similar pages - for some reason, they all depict winter getaways to Caribbean locales. The pictures are indeed warm and inviting on a bleak January day. After I finish posting today's blog, I will embark on making said collages.

   The colors of the Caribbean and summer in general reminded me of one of my other winter projects; I am currently painting a mural of a sunrise over the ocean. This project began as a conversation around Thanksgiving after I began working on a series ocean sunrises and sunsets all done in oil. My then future client gravitated towards one work that was already sold. My first thought was, "Great! When can I start?" But the more I thought about it, the more nervous I became.

   First off, this would be an indoor mural painted in the dead of winter. That means an acrylic paint would have to be used (no smell) as there would not be proper ventilation for oil paint. Remember - this is in a persons house... not my studio. I love the smell of paint! They, on the other hand, may not be a huge fan of the odor regardless of how beautiful the mural looks! Using acrylic paint also requires a different process than working in oils and the colors are limited. Mixing these colors in order to get the exact shade one wants can be a time consuming endeavor.

   Nothing more was mentioned about the mural until early January. I was then shown the wall where my client wanted the finished work. Challenge number two reared its ugly head - most of the wall is slanted. Nervousness turned into a pang of fear. How am I going to pull this off? I discussed my concern afterwards with another experienced artist and he told me to paint the sun (and horizon line) below eye level where the wall was vertical.

   Okay, I thought. That sounds right. However, I was unsure if there would be enough room for the beach, dunes, and small boardwalk / walkway leading out to the water that the client was hoping to add to the mural. I must admit, this project has taught me some valuable lessons:
 - When in business as a professional artist, one must have a written contract. Since my client was also my friend, we only had a verbal agreement. While that was fine with this particular arrangement, I would not be able to do this with a total stranger.
 - While I did this second aspect after I started, I should have included a printout of a picture that would be a close rendering of the finished work from the get-go. By having both of these articles, it allows both partners to have input on what is expected. While the expression, "...just use your best judgement.", can be a huge ego boost, I cannot utilize it as a plan.
 - Make sure we both know and remember when I plan to come over and paint. Even though we have calendars on our walls as well as in our phones (complete with reminder tones), people still forget or mistake days and/or times. One thing I found is I need to make my intent more clear and it is my responsibility to confirm all my appointments.
 - One of my favorite colors is not necessarily one of your favorite colors! One example was an acrylic paint bottle I used that showed a pale Caribbean blue - perfect for the sky. However, when I finished that portion of the mural, the color looked darker than I anticipated. I thought it might be because the room was getting dark and it would look great in the morning when the sun lit up the room. Nope! The color remained too dark and too powerful. I still liked it, but my client didn't.
 - I have to remember that not everyone is going to like what I like. I'm not the one who has to live with it - they are! If I use colors my client likes, I will have a satisfied customer (as well as a treasured friend).

   After we talked about what direction she wanted to go in, it was on to operation redo: painting over almost all of that too powerful blue. In a project of this size, I'm also finding that a small paint roller can be a huge blessing. It is a massive time saver especially on a wall this size. Other blessings include the use of drop cloths (I can thank my husband for that... um... suggestion). Again, I have to remember I am in someones private home, not my studio. It is not artistic license to trash the place in the name of fine art.

   After a good portion of the re-painting was done and some solid design was put down, I was chatting with another good friend of mine who mentioned "... I was expanding my horizons." I laughed out loud although she did not get her unintended pun at first. Nothing like a good friend to keep you grounded and out of your head. And nothing like a winter project to make summer dreams come true. While I have yet to complete this work, I will be available in a few weeks during the month of February to paint a mural on your wall, be it home or work place. Please visit my website http://artscapedesignstudio.wix.com/jadl or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Artscape-Studio-119342494755215/. You can contact me through either one of those sites.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill