New Orleans Neighbors 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

What is the focal point? I want to say it is the dog and the lady leaning over to pet it. The woman to the right was intentially painted softer for de-emphasis and the couple in the back, although they are waving do not take center stage. The canopy and the poles initially caught my attention when I looked at the photo. OK the couple in the back wasn't in the photo but I decided to add them because I liked the connection they bring to the foreground.

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

After I put in the Lafitte sign on the side of the building, my brush got carried away in other areas. I tried to put it down but it would not cooperate. Maybe some people prefer more calligraphy in a painting. I know I love Tony Couch's watercolors because it. I did not use black, I used indigo for the lettering. I think next time the calligraphy will be softened more in other places with lighter values.

Ursulines Street Corner 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

The real building is painted white. I mixed various light grays of pale pink, blue, yellow. I put blotches of that on first and followed up the next day with a whiter tone to give it more texture. No building is all white, with reflections from the sky, overhangs, sidewalk and other surroundings, it is a much more exciting variety of colors. It was an overcast day so not much in the line of shadows. For the street sign, I covered it with indigo first and then scratched out the name using a pointy tool.

Chess Anyone? 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

 I am told that this fellow was already a master chess player when he was starting LSU. He seemed quite at home in front of the French Market.

What a great profile study!! 

Wolfe's Corner 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

I like how the colors in the focal point, the buggy and mule, are repeated in the blue sky and the red canopy & roofs, and the rust of the building. It pulls it all together. The only thing I wish I would have done was to maybe put some more figures in the distance to give it more life. What do you think?

Court Tavern Po-Boy 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

The things that attracted me to paint this were wrought iron work against the intense background colors of the buildings. It screams New Orleans. By the way, the iron work was predominantly done by using an old credit card. It is a great straight edge for fine areas.

Canal Street Car 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

Does the angle of the side of the streetcar disturb you like it disturbs me? I keep looking at my reference photo with the grid lines and it tells me that it is correct but something seems off. Perhaps the tracks and the curb angle needs tweeking. What do you think?

Lucky Dogs 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

The thing that attracted me to paint this, aside from the fact that it is so New Orleans, were the dynamic angles and repetitive "stripes" on the shirt, railing and steps. The shirt was easier to do once I figured out to put the variations of red on first and wipe out the white lines with a rubber gadget.

Meet Me at St. Louis 6" x 6" oil on gessobord

I moved a few things around from the original photo. More of the cathedral is showing and is not blocked by the large post which I placed behind the mule. It could be argued that the right side is heavier than the left in value, but I rather like the progression from dark foreground value to light background. The points of the cathedral, the post and the ear of the mule has a rhythm all its own.

Dumaine Street Stop 6" x 6" oil on gessoboard

I found out that you can take some pretty descent reference photos cruising down the streets of New Orleans in my car. No, I did not do both. I drove and my son with his super duper camera shot through the closed windows. When all was said and done, he managed to take 1500 photos. Yes 1500. It took me 3 days to go through all of them, crop, recrop, and make the final cuts of what I would like to paint. Twenty two photos caught my eye. This was the first one I painted. I am trying to get the hang of  where to start a painting like this that has so much information. I decided to start from back, the sky and roof tops, to front - the buildings. It was an overcast day so there were no deep shadows.