This was supposed to be a quick study session, but it turned into a full fledged effort. I couldn’t help but get sucked into it. It was an exciting time to be in San Francisco, especially living in the Castro – summer of 2013 – if you don’t know what I’m talking about, look it up.
This is my wife walking Boom around the neighborhood. Walks with him were always so easy – he was the perfect companion. They’re both looking to the right, as something has caught their attention, but it hasn’t affected the casual, enjoyable mood of their walk. Everything else in the painting is directed to the right, with the notable exception of a single white car coming down the steep road from the right. I don’t want to actively direct viewers out of the painting, but I’m trying to generate interest and perhaps discussion about what could be just out of the frame. I’m probably violating a central design tenet with this approach, but rules schmoolz.
The painting is on a canvas board with very thick texture. Made some of the detail work difficult, but it forced me to use some larger brushes and paint with more authority, which is good for me.
Getting the hang of painting cars, but had never tried painting a person or dog walking. I had to do a few sketching sessions separately, which helped, but it’s going to take a lot of practice over the coming months to get a better feel for the technique.
Artistic license taken on a few items. Most notably removed the leash from the composition. Also added cars as it suited as opposed to exactly as they appeared in the photo.
Art Bern 