Moody Blues (PIke and Rose, #2), 20″ x 16″, UART 320 board

Reference photo

10 x 8 drawing

Underpainting, stage 1

Underpainting with alcohol

It’s been awhile, once again, since I’ve posted.  But in the time since the last posting I’ve completed 3 16 x 20s and 3 9 x 12’s (which I won’t post).  So I’ve been busy!  This painting is my second from the relatively new area of N. Bethesda known as Pike and Rose.  And, it was a real challenge.  I’m including the reference photo so you can see what the challenge was–a tree and a car!  I really loved the greenery in the foreground, but I knew the car had to go.  That meant having to fill in the two cars that were there and the street.  And I had to make changes to the background in upper left as well, having removed the tree.  I seem to be in a blue and green mode these days!  I DO love the combination and had fun playing with various Ludwig grayed greens and blues for the buildings.

Unlike the last painting, where the umbrellas were the focal point, this time I wanted it to be the greenery in the foreground.  I had the umbrellas too large at first and I used Blue Earth pastels on them.  I then brushed it all off and made them smaller and used Girault, saving the Blue Earth for the foreground.

The biggest challenge, by far, were drawing the two cars.  I did several versions of the one in the back and brushed them both off.  Then took a reference shot of my neighbor’s car and used that!  I think it worked well enough.  At least the front is now distinguished from the back!

After adding all of the various blues and greens, I added the bright magenta flowers in the foreground (which were there), gave more of that color to tail lights, and added it into the windows behind the cars.  I really liked the effect.  I also made the vertical sign in upper left pink. I added the lettering using a hard pastel with the painting on the table and glassine over it.

I had no idea what to call this painting.  My husband suggested “blue mood”  which I immediately changed to Moody Blues!  Not sure how moody this picture is but at least it’s got a better title!