Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 29, 2019)

Here is the painting I have been working on as it looked on August 29, 2019.  In this photo, you can see that I worked on the foreground, going for a more yellow-green and more texture. I also added pale washes to the mountains on the left, to create more contrast.  And I worked on the sky, using my photo a reference (posted here Aug. 18).  Getting there!  To be continued. . . .

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 27, 2019)

I have been working on this painting, and this is how it looked on August 27. I am working from a photo that I took in Colorado last summer. (My photo reference is posted here on August 18.) On the 27th, I worked on the sky and the shapes of the mountains in the distance. I also made some modifications to the values of the mountains to make sure there is enough contrast, and worked on the shoreline. To be continued. . . .

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 26, 2019)

This is my current painting as it looked on August 26th.  I was starting to add color to the lake and the sky. This "Mountain Daydream" is inspired by a photo that I took in Colorado last summer. (My reference photo is posted here, August 18.) I think this is Dillon Lake, but I am not sure.  

Duet with Clarinet and Piano

This image began with one of the many family photos that my cousin Bob Fitterman recently uploaded to Google Photo.  No doubt the photo was taken by my uncle Ike Fitterman, though I am not sure of the location or date. Pictured are my cousin David Fitterman on clarinet and my father (Hy Zagon) on the piano.  I added the Prisma filter and cropped the original version to get this composition. My father was born on August 28th, so I am posting this today to honor his memory and to celebrate his life, which was full of kindness, generosity, and music.

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of August 25, 2019)

This painting, my current project, is inspired by a photo that I took during my trip to Colorado last summer. (My (digitally modified) reference photo is posted here August 18).  This is how my painting looked on August 25th. I didn't have much time to paint that day, but I used the time I had to address some basic problems in perspective: the shapes of the snow-capped mountains in the distance, and the shape of the shoreline.  To be continued. . . . 

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 24, 2019)

Here is my current painting as it looked on August 24th.  My reference is a photo that I took in Colorado last summer (posted here August 18.) On the 24th, I was still working on the composition. I wanted to make sure the lines of the lake are straight and peaceful. You can see the purple lines along the shore of the lake, and the purple shadows added to the mountains in the background. This is acrylic used as watermedia, on Aquaboard, 16" x 20". To be continued. . .

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 23, 2019)

This is my current painting as it looked on August 23.  This mountain landscape is based on a photo that I took in Colorado last summer. (You can see my reference photo posted here on August 18.)  Even though I rely a lot on my imagination, at this point was making changes to bring my composition closer to that of the photo. I wanted to elongate the shape of the mountain on the right-hand side, and to narrow the shape of the lake.  I also added some darker tones of blue and purple to the mountains.

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 22, 2019)

This painting in progress is one of my Mountain Daydream landscapes, inspired by the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  For this painting, I am using a photo from my last trip to Colorado as a reference (posted here Aug. 18).  Because my painting is 16 x 20, I had cropped the reference photo to get an 8 x 10 format.  But by the third painting session, I already knew I wanted to modify the composition to regain the long lines of the mountains visible in the reference photo pre-crop.  So you can see in this photo that I had started moving things around a bit, using red violet paint (the color chosen so I could easily see the changes.)

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 21, 2019)

This is my painting in progress as it looked on August 21, 2019.  I am working from a photo that I took during a trip to Colorado last summer.  (My reference photo is posted here on August 18.)  I began adding some color and shape to the mountains but I was already thinking about making changes to the composition. To be continued. . . .

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 19, 2019)

This is my painting as it looked the day I started it,  August 19.  I roughed in the composition, using my reference photo as a guide.  This is going to be another of my Mountain Daydreams series, landscapes created from memories and daydreams of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  This is acrylic used with water on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.  To be continued. . . .

Mountains and Lake (Reference Photo for Painting)

This was the third step in creating a reference photo for the painting I am working on.  Because this was for a painting on a 16" x 20" Aquaboard, I wanted to have an image that I could print out as an 8" x 10" photo.  It wasn't a matter of simply cropping the image, because that would mean losing some of the mountain shapes that I liked best. So I did some cut-and-paste in Painter. Since I made no attempt to "cover my tracks", you can easily see where I made the changes (for example, in the sky just above the mountains on the right side).  I kept checking the size and adjusting the crop till I had an image that would be the right size.  I was pretty happy with this composition, so I printed it out and used it as a guide to establish the composition of my painting.  Of course, as I started working on the painting, I made more changes.  But I am getting ahead of myself.  To be continued. . .

Mountains and Lake (Edited for Painting Reference)

This image shows part of the process of creating a reference photo for the painting I am working on.  I found a photo from last year's trip to Colorado. (The original is posted here, August 18.) To get it ready to use as a painting reference, I opened the original jpeg in Painter and used cut and past to extend the grassy area in the foreground and hide the car mirror and the guard rail. I cropped the image to eliminate an awkward line here and there.  I didn't worry about making smooth transitions so you can easily see some of the cut-and-paste in the foreground. To be continued. . .

Gladioli (Posterized)

My cousins came to visit yesterday and brought an enormous bouquet of gladioli.  The stems were so big I was afraid the vase would tip over! There are blossoms in all my favorite colors: red, orange, and pink.  This closeup shows just a few of the flowers. Tonight I used Painter to simplify the background, and then I also posterized the image.

Mountains and Lake (Original Version of Reference Photo)

I was looking for a photo to use as a reference for a new painting I am starting. This is a photo that I took during our trip to Colorado last year, taken from the passenger seat of a moving car. I like the photo as is, but wanted to make some changes to make this work as a reference photo. To be continued. . . .

Parque das Nações, Photo from the Gondola

I was very surprised to find myself taking the gondola ride (twice) at Lisbon's Parque das Nações.  It was a lovely ride.  Although I don't like heights, I have tried to rise above my fear, so to speak. Over the years, I have learned that being behind the camera helps a lot.  Here is one of the pictures I took from the air.  I also took video, but have been able to post it here. So I will have to settle for the photo.

Gondolas, Bridge, Ocean: Parque das Nações in Lisbon

It is lovely to walk around the Parque das Naçoes in Lisbon, which is what we did on our first evening in Portugal.  In this view you can see the ocean, the cable cars, and in the distance, a bridge that reminds us of Boston's Zakim Bridge.  It was fun to watch the gondolas.  Little did I know that I would soon riding in one of them before our trip was over!

Parque das Nações

We spent some time walking around the Park of the Nations in Lisbon.  This park was built for the Lisbon World Expo in 1998. In the park, you can visit the Oceanarium, you can stop at Starbucks!  or choose from a number of international restaurants. You can ride a gondola (cable-car) from one end of the park to the other, or you can cool off by walking along this row of flags. We did all of these things.

Gare do Oriente (Oriente Train Station in Lisbon)

I took the train from Lisbon to Porto and back. The Gare do Oriente became very familiar because Oriente was also the subway stop for the Vasco da Gama Shopping and the Park of Nations and Oceanarium.  I loved the design of the outdoor roof over the tracks. so I took this picture.

Lovely Afternoon in Guimaraes

Spent some time walking around Guimaraes, a town about 40 minutes north of Porto.  I took a lot of pictures,  but for now just posting this one.  I love the soft colors and the patterns, and this is the kind of photo that might be a good reference for a painting.

Driving in the Rain, Porto

It rained a bit during my last day in Porto. It was a great day anyway, even though I was sorry to be leaving. I took some pictures from the car as we drove through the city.  I liked the contrast of the old buildings and cobblestones with the red and yellow tour buses so I took this picture. I have learned not to worry about raindrops on car windows. Sometimes a little bit of rain can adds to a scene. 

Porto Cathedral, Blue and White Tiles

The Cathedral of Porto was full of surprises and lots of art and design to see.  I loved the big murals made of blue and white tiles.  I had a chance to see this one up close, so I took a picture.

Porto Cathedral, Another Ceiling

Another image from my recent trip to Portugal, design inspiration seen at the Porto Cathedral.  The faded and incomplete images on the ceiling reminded me of collage.  

Detail of Ceiling, Porto Cathedral

We toured the Porto Cathedral on a rainy afternoon, and there was a lot to see.  I liked this ceiling, so I took a picture. The faded images made me think of collage, and it might be fun to try to use collage to get a similar effect. Today I edited the original photograph to get this composition.    

Porto Cathedral, Gold Doorway

Still editing photos from my trip to Porto.  After we walked across the Dom Luis Bridge, it was raining so we went into the Porto Cathedral.  Lots to see inside, lots of inspiration for design.  I liked the contrast of the complicated gold designs against the quiet stone, so I took a picture. Tonight I edited the original photo to get this composition.

Composition with Arches (Porto Cathedral)

There's a lot to see in the Porto Cathedral.  I liked the arches. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this somewhat quirky composition.

Cathedral of Porto (Se do Porto)

By the time we walked back across the Dom Luis Bridge, it was starting to rain, so we decided to look at the Cathedral of Porto, right nearby.  

Vila Nova de Gaia seen from Dom Luis Bridge

Here's another image from my recent trip to Portugal.  This is another photograph taken from the Dom Luis Bridge in Porto.  You can see Vila Nova de Gaia across the river, and if you look closely, you can see the port houses.

Dom Luis Bridge, Porto

Here's a picture of the Dom Luis Bridge in Porto, Portugal. I think the cloudy skies and the yellow crane add to the industrial feel of this image. Looking at this photo, it is hard for me to believe that I walked across the top of this bridge (the same level as the blue and yellow trains).  This was an amazing adventure!

Evening Sky and River in the Foz, Porto

We had dinner at a restaurant in the Foz, in Porto.  The restaurant was right at the edge of the Douro River. It was early evening when we arrived.  The sky was amazing, so I took this picture. Today I cropped the original to get this composition.