A New Background

I am busy at work on a new board for the lily. Green earths, yellow ochre, and burnt and raw siennas, layer after layer, are coming together. Every four or five layers brings a cheesecloth polish and there is even a light sanding in there.

My first background board still resists coming to a hard and smooth surface. I am carefully mixing my medium and pigment and this new board shows that. Restarting is really a blessing as I get to gain experience and I think that various greens will contrast nicely with the lily's oranges.

I know it all looks warm at at this time but I am going to try to really darken up, maybe even close to black, the border. Midway in I will be moving to Viridian to provide a cool region. The center, which will be mostly covered, will be warm. I want to keep in mind a relative state of cool and warm--another major principle from my Old Masters Design workshop. From time to time I hold up my earth orange swatch to keep me in line.