Reminder: APRIL (this month!) is the last month before June that I can ship or arrange pickup for purchased artwork.  I will be in Flagstaff AZ for all of May for ArtX, and will not be able to ship work or arrange for pickup during that time frame.  If you would like to purchase artwork and have it shipped or picked up before June, now is the time to make those decisions.  Onto the email…

4.12.24 - Friday - Cherry Blossoms 2024 Art Notes, Part 5 of 5

“weds 4.3.24

work on cb 30 x42" original 1-2pm

And so one painting remained unfinished.  I decided to continue to take my time with this work, even as the blossoms were madly falling, the aspect of the trees fundamentally shifting from puffy cloud to scratchy green new growth.  I spent this whole session just on the windows and structures and textures of Raitt Hall at left, not even completing those, but beginning to give the building a sense of weight and a presence in the piece that the buildings hadn’t previously had.

“thurs 4.4.24

work in 30 x42" original 10:45am- 11:50am”

I put in another hour on the same piece as the previous day, making significant progress in completing the building (all but the entrance) and laying in the dark of the background pine trees.  I tried to pay more attention to the perspective and the building details than in the other, near-identical view.

"fri 4.5.24

11am 30 x 42"... 2pm done. yay!”

Finally, after three hours on this final Friday, I was done with this piece, and (likely) with the cherry blossom paintings for 2024.  I had included the bursts of green new growth, the much more visible and exposed dark branches, and found the same pedestrian as the previous painting of the almost-identical view, sitting in the same spot, legs crossed the other way, rolling suitcase and white sneakers and all.  Again, they left before I could show them the piece.  However, the woman (and her daughter) in the foreground bench at right came around to see what I was working on, and recognized herself in the painting!  What a fun moment.  Parts of this piece represent different times of day, different atmospheres, even slightly different seasons (blossoms to new growth), but I don’t mind.  The piece was highly enjoyable to make, as were all of the blossom paintings this year.  I am already looking forward to painting them again in 2025.

Cheers,

David