Garnier Opera Touch-ups

When I paint, I always feel like the reference photos presents itself to me in multiple acetates. Some of you will remember acetates from your younger days in school.  I first see the general shapes and paint those.  Then on the next acetate, I see some details and paint those, then more details on the next acetate and so on and so on.

Here's how James Gurney explains it:

Learning to paint requires developing two different sets of neural pathways. One is the cognitive / perceptual skill of strategic observation, where you learn to see what you need to see at each stage of the process, no more, no less.

The other is a cognitive / perceptual / motor pathway that allows you to plan a move of the hand to pick a brush, lift the right amount of paint of the right color and consistency, and apply it in a way that gets you closer to the interpretation you visualized.

A couple of days ago, I decided to touch up this painting.  It never felt quite finished and now I am happy with it.

Palais Garnier - 28" X 21"

As of tomorrow afternoon, you can see this painting in person on the Promenade Wall in the Shenkman Arts Centre.

The Palais Garnier, also known as the Garnier Opera, was built rom 1861 to 1875. It was associated with Paris Opera Ballet until 1989. This is a portion of the wonderful staircase of Palais Garnier in Paris.

This past week has been so busy with teaching that I barely worked on my own two paintings.  However, in the coming two days, I'll have time to work on them.

Have a wonderful week

Danielle