When I begin working on a commissioned painting, I usually start the same way... Talk to my clients, find out their interests, possibly which paintings of mine do they like the most, determine the size and begin pondering in my head "How do i tell their story?" Over the years, some clients have suggested a possible theme for their painting, but their concept and my idea of a "Scott Moore Painting" are usually very far apart.

My clients, Steve and MaryBeth, emailed me a detailed description of a possible direction to take this project. Here is what they wrote:  

"The subject matter would be Naples itself, which as you may know, is characterized by canals, Alamitos Bay, arched bridges (and bridge jumping), docks along the canals, paddle boarding, kayaks, boats of all sorts,… We don’t have a definite concept for a surreal subject matter, but one idea we had would be to use an oversized old school, clawfoot bathtub in the foreground as the basin to hold the water in the canal and maybe one of the bridges spand the bathtub, and use toy boats, paper boats, rubber duck etc as surreal props in the canal and/or bay. We would obviously like your thoughts and guidance as to what types of perspectives could be created."

It was perfect! They really understood my thinking process and came up with the perfect solution. Although they didn't want to compromise the design with including them in the painting, I thought it would be great to have their whole family in the design.

They sent me this photo so I would know the makeup of their family.

This photo shows the canal where they once owned a home. Since the trees had grown up and blocked the view of their home from this angle, they also sent me an older photo...

...right here! I would have to combine the two photos, eliminate some foliage in each one and add their Duffy boat...

..."Bada Bing"



I purchased a vintage set of bathroom fixtures and mounted them on a piece of plywood, duplicating the lighting that would be determined by the sunlight direction in the more current photo of their 'old' home.

This vintage bar of ivory soap would be used as a bench for MaryBeth and the soap itself would become Kevin's stand up paddleboard. With all these ingredients, I put them in a large pot (my small brain) and came up with this image:

Here we have Steve (dad) perched on the bridge, getting ready to jump into the canal. MaryBeth (mom), sits safely on the bar of soap on the window ledge, while the two young ladies sit in their origami boat. They, along with Kevin, standing atop the bar of Ivory soap ("it floats") watch dad as he prepares his cannon ball! Outside the window is a view up the canal, where a couple enjoys a gondola ride alongside a pair of paddleboarders. Oh yeh, "Bada Bind" is the red Duffy boat, docked below their 'old' house.

I built 48" x 48" stretcher bars and stretched the finest Belgium linen portrait canvas over the frame. I'll begin by working on the scene outside the window. It's very detailed and will take a great deal of time to draw all the elements onto the canvas.

 

Here is about 4 days work, drawing and painting. All my paint applications in the beginning of the painting are thin washes of oil paint and turpentine. This follows the rules of oil paint applications of "thin to fat" in terms of the thickness of the pigment. Thin layer first, fat layer last. I can only paint those areas that don't touch where any of the figures will be. Since I don't know exactly what space each figure will occupy, I will avoid painting those areas. In the outdoor scene in the window, I'll hold off on painting the water as it will surround part of MaryBeth, sitting on the bar of soap.

I will be meeting with the five members of this family soon to photograph them for the painting. Once I have them all drawn onto the canvas, I'll be able to paint all areas of the image.

I've moved off of the window scene and roughed in the wall sign and the left wall. Next, I'll move back to the window to add more details.

 The Naples canal scene has been painted with it's first layer except for the Gondolier and the two paddleboarders. The large white water area in the lower left has been left bare until I draw MaryBeth on the window sill.

I've painted the gondolier and the two paddleboarders. Although they look like a stand alone painting, they are just small details in the background of the window view.

I was planning on moving on to the chrome faucets on the wall today but the sun didn't come out this afternoon. I need to put the faucets in the sun to study the reflections a little more before rendering them.

  

I decided to 'build' a bathtub and create a colored wall, similar to the color intended in the painting. This gives me a better indication of where the wall reflects in the chrome as well as the blue of the water and the bridge.

I studied the reflections in the chrome and put them in, falling short of many of the correct values, which I will correct in the final layer of paint.

There are many elements to this painting that need to have the same light source as all the other objects in the image. I've hung a towel over a 2 x 4 to give me the proper perspective and lighting.

 
Having painted in the lower area of the bathtub, the painting now has a visual base, moving the viewer's focus up into the painting. That is where all the 'live' characters will be positioned, telling the story of the image. These 'live' characters are the five members of this family. I will be photographing them tomorrow, positioning each one with very specific lighting. If all goes well, I will be able to draw them on to the canvas and then be able to complete the areas surrounding them. Tomorrow I will also photograph one of Naple's canal bridges, giving me a better idea how to design the bridge that will span the bathtub.



The photography session went great. We had a typical sunny California day. Here is Allison. She will be the rear kyacker in the origami boat.



Fiona is the forward kyacker in the origami boat. Both sisters will be looking up at dad on the bridge.



Here's Kevin. He'll be stand up paddleboarding on the bar of Ivory soap.



Mom, MaryBeth, will be looking down at 'the kids' from a safer vantage point on the window sill.


And finally, Steve, dad, the 'Jumper,' freezes his position for the camera.



I made this Ivory soap bar package from a photo of a vintage 1940's Ivory soap wrapper. It has a much more attractive design than its contemporary.



One of the details of the Naples canal bridges are the four street lights that frame the bridge entries. As the early 1900's lights went out of stock when they were broken, they were replaced by more modern versions. There are a few of the originals left and I thought they looked way cooler than the newer lights. So, I am putting the vintage lamps in the painting.



Here's a photo of my 'rubber duck' that I'll paint from. He looks so happy to be in the painting!



I've sketched in all the figures. Their heads are about 1/2" high, so there won't be a lot of detail rendered on faces, but the family will still be able to recognize each one. Because the figures are drawn in, I can now paint a few large areas of the painting. Here you can see the green of the wall that surrounds the window was painted, revealing the outline of dad on the bridge and the railing. The lower left water area of the scene outside the window has been finished, allowing me to carve around mom and the bar of soap.



The warm color of the towel is very important to the color balance of the image. There are a lot of cool colors and this towel does a large job of warming up this area.



I've gone into the tub and painted the water and reflections, further delineating the detail of the bridge railings.



The bridge and the top edge of the tub has been rendered. I still have to address the glass globes on the street lights. Getting closer to rendering the figures, which is always a tough task. I'll finish all the inanimate objects first, leaving the soap, soap box, rubber duck and the origami boat.



The bar of soap, the soap box on the window sill, the rubber duck and the origami boat have all received their preliminary coat of oil pigment and now the painting is ready for the human element to be painted.



Here is the entire canvas. You can see the five figures 'ghost' silhouettes, all in white on the canvas. I'll be devoting at least one complete day to each figure.



Here is the first figure, Steve. His red swim trunks were needed to bring a compliment to all the green and blue that surrounds him.



MaryBeth is now painted in with the preliminary layer of thin oil.



Fiona is painted. Now on to Allison.



Allison is sketched onto the canvas.



Here is a photo of the two sisters in this first stage of painting.



Kevin is the final element to bring the painting to its half-way point.



Everything on the canvas has received one layer of preliminary paint. Now I will assess all the values and hues of every object and area and make the necessary adjustments. This final stage will be painted with tube-thick oil paint.



I'm applying the first passage of 'final' paint. It is not thinned down like all the previous applications on the canvas. I've decided to paint the back wall first, which will help me determine how dark or light to make the values of all the objects that it touches.



This close-up shows the difference in the first and final layers of paint, the latter being much darker and warmer. I'm using a natural bristle bright brush.



Here is a look at a larger section of the back wall.



And now a look at the entire finished back wall. Notice how I went beyond the original sketch and added a darker green value in the corner where the wall meets the other wall and also the dark addition along the top edge of the bathtub. This helps give the feeling of distance between the tub and the wall, telling the viewer that the tub is blocking the reflected light that is bouncing up onto the wall.



I've moved out into the window scene and painted the sky.



Continuing with the scene outside the window, I've darkened the gray house significantly, making it look out of place at this point. Now, I'll darken everything surrounding it to make it appear lighter and to make the outside scene a richer image.



All of the white trim, railing etc. is now a darker gray as well as the house next door had been darkened. I'll continue throughout the entire scene until everything has a final layer of thick paint.



Here's a short video in my studio this morning.



The Holidays slowed me down for a bit but I am now back onto the painting, working on the canal scene out the window. I've completed the background houses, bridge, the dock area in the distance and the two people on the bridge.



The homes in the foreground are done, along with the maze of railings and the seawall. I'll go into the water, the Duffys and the people in the canal next.



Here is a photo of the entire window. All the brush strokes from the first layer of thinned oil will disappear as the thicker oil gets blended into the water.



"Bada Bing" received its final 'paint job' today.



As well as this other Duffy.



Here's an overall photo of the Duffys and the docks.



The scene outside the window is completely finished. This area of the painting was very time intensive, capturing the detail and the beauty of the canal.



I've taken a photo of the lower left portion of the canvas, showing the final layer of green paint I'm applying for the shadow on the wall, cast by the bathtub. You can see how drastically darker this paint passage is. I mixed three values of the green, blending them from lighter to darker as I get closer to the floor.



Here is the left side of the canvas. You can see the deep shadow cast by the front wall, the 'no diving or jumping sign,' the faucet and the tub. I also blended a small dark value of the green in the corner where the walls meet to emphasize the depth.



The largest paint passage is the exterior of the bathtub. I mixed 3 values of gray/black and have begun to apply them. You can see two of the values in this photo. They are very dark compared to the first layer. By getting the outside of the tub real dark, it provides a visual 'stage' for the main focus of the painting... the family in and around the tub.



This photo shows the right side of the tub. As with the left side photo, the values are not blended yet. 



Here's a look at the entire painting, showing the finished exterior of the tub. Notice how the top and inside of the tub 'lights up.' The big difference in the values of the dark grays on the exterior iron on the tub, compared to the light struck top edge of the tub is very dramatic.



The faucet handles and spout are done. There were many corrections to the preliminary paint layer, mostly with values.



Another element of the painting is complete. I've been blessed with a steady hand my whole life, which helps when rendering type and very thin cast shadows and outlines.



I've painted the window sill, both the vertical and horizontal sections. If you look closely, you can see the thick application of paint on the lower sill.



This shows the entire window sill.



The towel was painted by mixing burnt umber, cadmium yellow, Permalba white and for the darkest areas, I added French ultramarine blue.



All the street lights are finished. Now off to the bridge.



The street lights and the railing are done. I need to let them dry a few days before painting the bridge walkway.



Mr. Duck is proud to have his final layer of oil.



The origami boat has a new coat of paint, making it sea worthy.



I've just finished painting the bathtub, both the top edge and the inside wall of the tub. There are a myriad of carefully chosen values with very specific hues to portray the warm and cool shadows and curves of the tub. Painting in and around the bridge and objects in the tub and maintaining the soft transitions between light and shadow was very delicate.



Here's a look at the whole canvas. A little more work on the bridge, the bar of floating soap, and I'll be ready to finish the 5 family members.



The Ivory soap is completed.



I'm painting the water in the tub, starting with a lighter blue at the top of the water and blending to a deep dark blue for the bottom area of the water. This will give some depth to the inside of the tub and make some of the highlight areas light up. If you look at the paint coming off my brush in the photo above, you'll see that there is a very distinct difference between the value of the first and second application of paint.



In this photo, the bridge is completely done. As I was painting the blue water, I also painted the various greenish reflections from the bridge and the inside of the tub.



This sectional photo shows the transition of lighter to darker blue water, reflecting the sky above.



The bar of Ivory soap is painted and floating perfectly! A few more reflections to be painted and then I'm on the home stretch with rendering the 5 figures.



Fiona is finished. There are many small mixtures of flesh tones, some with cool grays to reflect the sky that affects the coloration.



Now Allison is completed. On the website, it is hard to tell how large or small the objects are that I am painting. The figures are small and require a very steady hand to assure that the details are correct. 



Here's my thumb on the canvas. You can see that Allison's head is about half the size of my thumbnail.



This is my little workhorse. A 'double 00' round sable. On a large painting like this one, I'll wear out a couple of these small tools.



I just finished Kevin. All three of the kids turned out great! Now on to mom and pop.



MaryBeth has just received her final layer of oil paint and that leaves just Steve. Since Steve's final paint is the most difficult of all the family, I've saved it for the last thing to be painted.
                        

Steve requiered 12 separate mixtures of flesh tones and shaded area tones in order to get the correct modeling of his skin. The camera and Photoshop made the dark area on the back of his bent leg a little harsh looking online, but the actual rendering on the canvas is much softer. Steve was the last object to be painted on this four foot square canvas.



Here's the final product. This image took more step-by-steps than any previous painting of mine, showing all the intricate details involved in the design. It turned out great! I'll let it dry for a week and then give it a light coat of retouch varnish to bring out the rich darks that always dry a little light.

email:scott@scottmooreart.com