The local historic Shell gas station looked remarkably beautiful in the snow a few years ago. I knew I wanted to capture it as a painting someday. Here is a look at my process, with notes below.
- The first layer of paint. I chose to use a cool tone, to infuse the entire painting with some cold unity. This layer of paint is thinned out by introducing some odorless mineral spirits and extra oil to my paint. At this stage, I’m only concerned with getting the general shapes of value in.
- Some more layers go down, with an emphasis on basic tones and colors. I am using a limited palette here, with burnt sienna, Payne’s gray, and hansa yellow. I believe I did use some raw umber and yellow ochre for a few of the areas and the general tone of the building. Of course, titanium white was also used to help lighten colors where needed.
- The finished piece. With the main shapes of color in, the real challenge at this point is to introduce more detail. As I move around the canvas, I am always moving back and forth, looking for areas to improve and change. It really is when the flow of painting happens and I’m following my instincts, trying to adjust everything until my heart and eye are satisfied.
Prints and greeting cards of Snowy Shell Station are available here and here, respectively.