Author: Patrick McNally

I’ve been focused the last few weeks on a new piece based on a photo (above) I took from an airplane shortly before landing at LAX. I cropped it to correspond to a 5 foot by 2 foot canvas. In the photos below you’ll see my progress so far.

It’s slow work, but I’m enjoying it! Stay tuned for more!

Welcome back! Here we are at the final source photo (the original shot before all the color separations). I am now working toward my final version. I’m not sure just how ‘crisp’ I want the final to be, as I like the ‘paint by numbers’ quality of the separations. Below, you’ll see two succeeding shots of the canvas.

I’m getting there, but still have a way to go! I haven’t really looked at the original source shot for some time, so now it is fun for me to discover what some of the blobs of color actually are as they come in to focus!

Below you see the original source shot of the cart painting, and then progress shot moving toward the final canvas. Still have a way to go on that one too, but I am enjoying the process!

Continuing on with the parking lot painting from last post, you see above the next layer, one step more toward the source photo, and below, the layer added to my existing canvas.

I am liking where this is going. I’m starting to see some dimensionality, I feel that this process is allowing me to see the overall image in a way that I cannot yet see it without the process. I hope that in time, I will be able to see this better even without the process. Below is the the next layer for the shopping cart picture.

Were getting pretty close to the original image on this one. Below is this layer painted on the canvas.

It’s moving forward! Clearly the painting needs a lot of lightening up, but again there is some dimensionality starting and I can see on the canvas the lighting dynamic, albeit in greater contrast than it will end up with- I think.
Feel free to comment or ask questions. Cheers!

Above you see the next source image, below the canvas with its new layer added.

I’m not trying to get too exact, too much detail yet, as I bring the basic shapes and values closer to the final position. It’s an attention to the whole image and the place and relationship of each basic part that I am striving for.

I often work on two or more pieces at a time. Right now I am also working on a painting based on a photo I took looking over a church parking lot. Below I will alternate between the source and painted versions.

Here is the source photo after cropping and light/ color adjustments. Below is the first polarization, with a grid added for help in mapping out the basic image on canvas.

Next we have my first layer on canvas…

I love this piece because it reminds me of a vintage paint by numbers set up. It gets even more so as we go along. Below is the next source layer…

And now my next layer on canvas…

As you can see, due to the semi transparent paint mix I am using, colors and shapes from the previous layers show through a bit. I think of this like a pair of 3-D glasses or a double image. Some of this will disappear eventually. Some I will choose to keep. Stay tuned for more In Progress!

Above you see the second posterized source photo from my last post. I used this image to paint over the first layer with semi transparent paint. Below you see the result. So far, pretty bizarre! I’ve got a ways to go on this one!

As weird as this looks, it has helped me see aspects of the image that I would not have had I just used the original photo as my source. Below you see the final polarization that I will use as my source to paint over the canvas you see above. It’s pretty close to the original, and the image will become a lot more recognizable.