My first vertical

Can you believe I haven't painted a vertical or square painting in more than five years? Time to rectify that situation. I think I got a pretty good start on The Ascent today, as I painted with my mentor and friend, Elmer Ruff. He looked at my brushes and suggested I get some bigger ones if I'm going to paint these big canvases. I didn't think of that but he's right. And he gave me a good idea for the Music Hall Christmas painting too.

This is going to be a special painting because some other close friends are a big part of it! The 24 by 30 inch canvas came from Betty and Margie, who got me to start painting again five years ago. I undercoated it with cerulean blue paint that was once Lana's mother's. And the subject, the Ascent, was suggested by my friends who work at Art on the Levee, where my last large painting of the Roebling Bridge sold in just a few days.

I'm picking up a giclee of that bridge painting on canvas next week and if it looks as good as the proof looked, I think a lot more of them will sell. I hope so.

This is the perfect subject to inspire me to paint vertically. I'm very inspired by this building. How did he think of it? How were they able to build it? How is it still standing? The photos I took make it look so different from every angle. My paint dried up and I ran out of time today but I look forward to working on this one again soon.

Tomorrow is Final Friday at the Pendleton from 6-10 pm. Before the guests come, I've undercoated another big canvas from Betty and Margie and plan to start a new Roebling Bridge painting on it. With bigger brushes, maybe I can get going on the Lebanon Christmas parade painting again too.