SOLD -Face It

Face It", 6x6", oil on gessobord

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"Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through. Face it." — Joseph Conrad

This photo was taken over the July 4th weekend on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. Those tourists are three of my sisters (one is partially hidden by the first sister) and two brothers-in-law fighting their way along the crowded walkway. I am sure none of them are going to recognize their faces in the painting but let's face it, faces are really hard to nail, especially on such a small canvas. 

I've included to the right, the Notan study I created for the painting. Notan is a Japanese term meaning harmony of dark and light. This is the latest challenge posted on DailyPaint Works. 

The first instruction was to create a black and white sketch before beginning the painting that divides everything into either pure white light, or a solid black Heart of Darkness. Easier said then done!

Instead of sketching my Notan by hand as instructed, I took my original photo into Photoshop, and used the threshold adjustment tool to experiment with the light and dark patterns. Once I was happy with the resulting patterns, I printed it out, and tweaked a bit with a marker to further eliminate any remaining mid-tone values still visible. 

Next, I used the study as a guide for the painting being careful to keep all the colors in their preassigned places. I am happy to report, they minded just like little kids on their first day of school. I was pleased with the result. Pretty cool technique! 

Thanks for strolling by today. 

nancy
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SOLD -Bridges of Bexar County

 

"Bridges of Bexar County" 10x8" oil on gessobord

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"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."— Jim Rohn

The River Walk is a public park consisting of a network of walkways, along the banks of the San Antonio River, that wind and loop one story beneath approximately five miles of downtown San Antonio. The viaduct passes under numerous limestone footbridges which connect the parallel sidewalks lined with cypress trees, restaurants, shops, hotels, bars and restaurants. Today's painting features one of the bridges in a small section of the thronged passageway of tourists.   

If you stop and think about it bridges are pretty remarkable, the subject matter of photographers, musicians, artists and movies. You can build bridges, travel under, or cross over a bridge when you come to it. You can wear a bridge, whole or partial; or simply be a bridge. Sea captains issue orders from bridges, and glasses sit squarely on top of them. But in London, do beware, bridges reportedly are "falling down." You can burn bridges, play bridge, bridge gaps—or if your daring—jump off a bridge. Danielle Steel said, "Sometimes, if you aren't sure about something, you have to just jump off the bridge and grow wings on your way down." 

Perhaps this has taken a bridge too far, yet bridges perform such thankless tasks of uniting opposing sides; they stand at perpetual attention, forever frozen in time like stoic soldiers holding up their end of some unwritten oath of allegiance to support and connect lives.

Thanks for crossing my path today. Go build bridges.
nancy
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To see more of my art or to contact me: 
Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Graphic Design Studio