Working on "Sixth and Constitution"

Thumbnail sketch and first phase

Stage 2

   While I was working on "Lovers Stroll" I was also working on this 16x20 painting that I have already titled "6th and Constitution".  This is an intersection I have crossed hundreds of times over the years.  What you see on the left is the Museum of Natural History on the Mall in Washington DC.  Behind it is the Washington Monument.  What you don't see is the National Gallery of Art which is off to the left.  I had just left the Gallery and was rushing across Constituion Avenue at 6th street to meet friends at the Capitol Grill on 6th and Pennsylvania Avenue for an early dinner.  The inspiration for the painting was the heavy, dramatic sky with the brilliant light below the clouds.  There were narrow, strong shafts of gold hitting the pavement and there were some wonderful lights and darks.  The day was very cold and blustery and pedestrians were leaning into the wind and holding coat collars up tight to their necks.  I was one of them. As I crossed the avenue I held my camera high and got some good reference shots from which I put together a sketch for the painting.

After todays work and starting to take shape

     Tomorrow I will start deciding where I want to put my pedestrians and will add the street lights, traffic light and automobiles.  The green is too green and I will tone that down.  I am painting on Ampersand gesso board which a surface I really like.  It is not absorbent and every stroke shows.  I prepared the panel with some heavy strokes of gesso and then tinted it with yellow ochre.  You can see some of the gesso strokes showing through and I like the effect of the paint gettting caught in the grooves.  I have been layering, glazing and even doing some sanding and glazing.  One of the things I like about gesso board is that it can really take a beating.  http://www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com/