I got some painting time this Easter morning with Washington Square. The under-painting is finished except for the figures behind and to the right of the white-shirted foreground figure. I finally(!) like the background beyond the pool. Washington Square is 44″ x 60.”
The composition is based on several photos I took last summer in Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park. Any painting about New York has to have pigeons–right?
The unfinished ‘Washington Square’ on the easel
I shouldn’t be surprised at this point when things go wrong. As much time and effort I spend ensuring that my preparations are repeatable and reliable–time is precious–the unexpected occurs all too often. With Washington Square, the canvas began progressively sagging. It got so bad, I had to remove the cross-brace. I haven’t seen that before. I’m not 100% positive but I suspect the culprit is the GAC 100 I started using last year.
The other issue is the too rough surface. I sanded each gesso layer as usual but this surface is much too rough for my taste, and counter productive. The surface has caused me to spend way too much time going over the details, of which there are a lot in this painting. In this instance, I know the cause with 100% certainty: the Utrecht gesso. As with their paint, I will never buy any more of their gesso.
A layer of scraper-applied oil ground will correct a rough surface, so it’s my own fault for not recognizing the issue when I prepared the canvas.
Big paintings are a challenge. I’ve never been in a band but working on a large painting is like being a drummer in a rock band–you need stamina!
Well worth every agonizing moment – the painting is remarkably engrossing.