Here is my idea/sketch for my next painting.  It will be called "The Corner Market". When I was growing up in Bellflower, California, we'd walk or ride our bikes to J&T Market, just a couple of blocks from our house.  It was there before the big grocery store (Alpha Beta) was built across the corner from it.  It had a small produce area and carried a different assortment of candy than the liquor store next door. 

On this canvas, I'll show a mother and her son, leaving the corner market with her grocery bag in one arm and holding her son's arm, while he pulls his toy car behind him. The market has been built by the boy with his colored blocks and alphabet blocks, which are spilled out of their bag onto the 50's tablecloth.  This tablecloth street also supports some food items and the young boy's pull car.  In the background are the neighborhood homes with the faint outline of the downtown skyline behind them.

This canvas will be 50"x 40".

I've played around with the blocks to try and come up with a fun facade for the market.  I didn't have all the necessary letters to spell everything correctly, but will take care of that when I draw them out on the canvas.

I've started on the canvas by painting the blocks that make up The Corner Market.

I've blocked in the city skyline and the palm trees that line the street.  I've also painted in two cypress trees on the far left of the canvas.

The blue California sky is applied thinly on the canvas.

Now I will rough in the homes along the street.  Here's a close-up of the far end of the street.  The skyline will have to be lightened up later on when I apply the final layer of paint.

I've completed the row of houses.  Here are a few photos.

Another photo of the craftsman homes.

Here is the entire street.

The wood pull toy car is parked at the curb.  I know, it is facing the wrong way on the street.  He's just 3 years old.

The tablecloth has a nice fruit pattern on the part that drapes over the table.  I've roughed in all its detail and subtle wrinkles, folds etc.

This photo gives you a glimpse at the whole canvas.  I'll move up on to the banana and apple next.

The Chiquita banana sits on the edge of the table...

...with the apple right behind it.

I've rendered the tablecloth pattern on most of the top surface.

A closer look at the pull toy car with the shadows and the pull cord.

All the blocks spilling out of the cotton bag, as well as the bag are rendered in with thinned oil paint.

Here is a close-up of the egg carton and the cotton Playskool bag.

The canvas is now ready for the mother and her son to be painted into place.

Introducing Sarah and her son William.  I was worried that I wouldn't find a boy who was at the right age for a pull toy.  William pulled this little wooden car all over the place when I handed the pull cord to him.  Great little guy and the perfect pair for this painting.  Thank you Sarah and William!

Mom and child are now on the canvas.  Next, I will paint the sidewalk beneath them and finish detailing the tablecloth on the street.

I'm at the halfway point in this painting.  All areas of the linen canvas have been painted with one thin coat of oil.  I'll study the overall image and begin making mental adjustments for the final layer of pigment.

Rather than paint generic folds or a smooth tablecloth, I like to study all the wrinkles that form on the tablecloth from it being folded and stored.

Here is a look at the corner of the table/street.

The entire width of the table edge.

I'm painting the palm trees.  Here are a few closeups...

Notice that they aren't just shades of green.  There are dried elements and very warm areas that compliment the green fronds.

These are the two trees behind the store.

I've also rendered the distant buildings of the city.

All of the blocks are painted.

Each block had highligh and shadow colors...

...plus the white background and gray shadow on the white.

One more close-up of the blocks and on to the cotton bag below.

The cotton blocks bag is finished.  The next photo...

...shows a close-up and the brush strokes.

I completed the egg carton.  It contains a half dozen subtle varieties of values in the grays of the carton.

The apple is painted with its final 'tube consistency thickness'.  I'll finish the banana next which will complete the collection of objects on the left side of the painting.

With the Chiquita banana rendered, I'll move to the right side of the painting where I will finish the wooden pull toy car.

The car is finished.  That completes all the objects on the street.  I'll work on the stretch of houses next.

The line of background houses has a thick layer of oil.

I laid the paint on thick and with a fairly large brush so that the imagery wouldn't be too photographic.

Here's the closest house.  It has a little darker values placed on it compared to the houses that recede down the street.

The last of the 'objects' has been finished --  the mother and son.  All that is left is the sidewalk they are standing on, the tablecloth on the street and all the cast shadows.

I thought I would show some close-up photos so that the thickness of the final brush strokes are evident.  The blue pattern on the top of the tablecloth street is brushed on with its final thick paint.  You can see the canvas of the white areas of the tablecloth that only have the initial thin oil wash on them. 

Here's another close-up of the freshly applied blue tablecloth design.  The 'white' of the tablecloth will be the final area that I will paint.

Since I have my close-up lens on my camera, I've taken a few more tight shots to show the brush strokes in other areas.

This is a small section on the front of the tablecloth where it hangs in front of the table/street.

This close-up of Sarah shows a smoother application of paint on the details of her face and arms.  If you look closely you can see that I still have applied some heavier strokes in the lightest areas of both her arm and the bag that she is carrying.

"The Corner Market" is now complete.  All the components to this painting help tell the story.

Click Here to see a larger image.