In the previous articles I pointed out that many different things can inspire a contemporary painting, a frame, color palate, a scene, a photograph, a vision. Sometimes, as in this case, in came from necessity.
We had just purchased a summer condo in Tacoma, Washington, and had an 11’ wall that was to become “Steve’s Bar”. After a false start, we found the right furniture pieces and along with our condo color scheme (charcoal and sand), we’re left with a large area for a painting; about 6’x6’.
We also found a very nice five-piece bar set that was gold and black, fitting in with the color scheme perfectly. So I bought a canvas to fit the space, 4’x5’, and got to work. The original idea was to incorporate “bar items” subtlety into the abstract piece. What bar items? A black and gold cocktail shaker, a couple of different wine glasses, a decanter, a martini glass, olives, and, of course, ice.
I started with the under painting; colors, textures, and and backgrounds. The bar items didn’t need to be perfect, accurate representations as this is an abstract painting. I wanted the “essence” of these items, not exact representations.
I got all of that done, pleased with the direction, but not the product. Hauling around a canvas that big isn’t that easy, but I got it to my instructor’s gallery where we added the finishing touches. In some cases, detailing the bar items, in some cases obscuring them.
