Painting at Earls

I have done a lot of live paintings over the last three years in venues large and small.  In all those cases, without exception, I was painting on a canvas.  I started my first installation live painting project last night at Earl's painting on a large sliding door panel in the bar located in the lounge.  I had loosely sketched out the project the day before and jumped right in with the painting as soon as I arrived.

There are a few differences between painting on canvas and painting on a smooth hard surface.  First of all, there is far less resistance; it's like painting on ice.  I'm not sure if this is a surface thing or an air thing, but the paint is drying incredibly fast in this environment.  Because of the size of the project (4.5' x 8'), I am spending most of my time on my feet and on a small stool.  After three hours, I was ready to put my feet up and have a break.

This is also the largest animal painting that I have ever done.  I don't think any other comes close.

I enjoyed all the visits and comments as patrons and staff watched the project come together.  Several people were intrigued and baffled about my colour choices as I was referencing a black and white image.  I explained that I always paint from black and white, which allows me to make my own colour choices, resulting in colourful and surprising portraits of people, animals, and landscapes.

The folks at Earl's have been very welcoming.  They are also very supportive of the community.  While I'm painting, all proceeds from their Rhino Lager and Ale sales will be going to the United Way.

I'll be finishing up this rhino piece tonight starting at about 6 pm.  Hope to see you there.  Enjoy a cold one and support our community at the same time.