Parking Lot

I made this small painting a very hot and bright afternoon.  This is from the parking lot of Madonna Del Castello Parish.  Many people would walk through the parking lot and stop under this tree for shade.  The man I put in this painting was carrying groceries up the hill.

Painting Layer 2

I've put two layers of paint on this canvas.  The canvas is 6 feet by 3 feet.  It is not done yet, but this image I took late in the day shows the general idea of lighting and colors.  I have many technical goals with this painting: don't let it be too thin, don't have too opaque darks, give it enough saturation, etc.  At the same time I don't want it to end up too stiff or without sufficient information in it.

I'm most interested in the lighting.  I want the lighting to highlight the architecture and landscape so that people can see Swissvale in it.  I most enjoy lighting that triggers a memory of a personal experience in a viewer.  In order to do this, the lighting has to be specific and have a feeling to it.  This will be my main goal with this painting.

Walk

I go for walks.  As I'm exploring, I look for places that will make a good painting.  I found this view of Swissvale's business district from up on the hill part of Swissvale.

This is where painting has many advantages.  All the buildings, wires, trees and activity in an urban scene can make it overwelming and difficult to compose.  With painting, I can take liberties and edit the complexity to draw attention to the specific elements of the image that I want.

These are some digital pictures of what I see when I stand on that hill.  My painting of this view will be challenging, but I'm looking forward to it.  The bussiness district is an important part of what Swissvale is today.

Painting 2

This drawing is the first study I've done for a second larger painting.  I've cut the wood for the stretchers and am about to get more gesso and canvas.

I was searching for a view up on the "hill" part of Swissvale.  I wanted something that would show the vast distance one can see from this height.  I found this alley, which has the architecture, layers, and cars that I enjoy painting.  This alley shows exactly the type of architecture and belongings that are common here.  In particular, the vinyl siding and green corrugated plastic are textures that many people have told me remind them of this area.

This study is just in black and white because I drank all the water I intended to use for watercolors (it was a very hot day).  I'll be making more color studies before I start the larger painting.

Studies for Larger Painting

These are some of the studies that I've done in preparation for a larger painting.  I found this view when I was out drawing one day.  It shows the hills with houses on them and the abundence of summer plants.  This is one of the aspects of the landscape that I'm interested in showing the viewer.

I first made the drawing, and have made small paintings as studies since then.  These are the lastest two, when I started to pull back and focus on the house in the foreground.  It's shadow and contrast from the space behind it are two parts of the color and composition that I've been figuring out.

These studies will inform a larger painting.

I've been working in this area at the same time of day to keep the shadows consistent.  As I've been working here, I've started to get a feel for what happens on this street everyday.  I see the same people walking or driving by at the same time each day.  Faces have become familiar.  I've seen people come and go.  There is a landscaping bussiness just down the hill.  People will walk up the street and return later with bags of groceries in their hands.

One of the things I've learned working at this spot is how important it is to work on a painting in the shade.  The sunlight reflecting off the painting changes the way my eye sees the colors.  Then, when taken inside, the colors and values of the painting are off.  When working in the shade, the colors and values will stay more consistent with how I want them.  I've been sitting under a nearby tree, but I will need to purchase a painting box that can keep my masonite boards out of the sun when I'm working.

Drawings

I've been making drawings as I've been exploring Swissvale.  These are some of the drawings I've made so far.  I've used ink, graphite, and watercolors.

As I've been making these drawings, I've been working on ideas for larger paintings and have been exploring parts of Swissvale I've never been to before.  Swissvale is larger than I imagined, and there are many parts that have different landscapes and feels to them.

Painting

These are two paintings that I've made so far.  It has already been quite an experience painting outside in Swissvale.  I met a family who was building a chicken coop in their backyard for some new chickens they recently acquired.  I also met the woman who lived in one of the houses I painted.  I've explained my project to people and have received many good wishes.

I've also been preparing for collecting oral history.  I'm going to talk with a woman who has lived in Swissvale her entire life, and knows about remains of public steps that once led down the hillside to the river so people could walk to work at the steel mills.

Rain

Since I've gotten back to Pittsburgh, it has rained every day.  The forecast predicts more continuous rain.  I'm going to make quick drawings during the time that it is not raining, but the rain has definitely thrown a bit of a wrench in my plans to do the majority of my artwork outside.  I've been working on various indoor activities though, such as finalizing my IRB permission request and abstract.

What is Plein Air Painting? What is Oral History?

Plein Air Painting means painting done outside in open air.  Plein Air paintings are done from direct observation of the subject.  They are usually small because they have to be completed relatively quickly.  The lighting could change or something could move.  Plein Air paintings are usually done in one sitting.  However, one can use the smaller paintings as studies for a larger painting, or return to a location many times to complete a more complicated work.

For my project, I'm going to be making many drawings, sketches, and studies in addition to plein air paintings and larger paintings.  Preliminary work is neccessary to make larger final pieces.  At the same time, the on site work is often very fresh and lively.  I will use both as I work on my project.

Oral History is different from the history one finds in a textbook.  Researching Oral History means listening to people's first person memories and stories.  History is a fixed construct, while memories are more fluid.  Each person will have unique personal memories.  Oral History tells us how people experience and relate to places and events. 

For my project, I'm using both plein air painting and oral history research to reach a better understanding of a place, and to pass on that experience to the viewer.

Abstract

For my Diamond Scholars Project, I've been working on an abstract.  This is the state my abstract is in now.  As I'm working on the project, it may change and evolve.

     "Paintings and Memories are similar.  Both are based on subjective experiences and each one is different.  My project will use paintings and memories to attain a more holistic and specific understanding of a place and the relationships people have with that place.  I will be looking at the borough of Swissvale Pennsylvania, where people have lived for generations and have seen many changes and events in the area.  By researching oral history and creating plein air paintings, I will explore the relationships between Swissvale and the people who live there over a wide segment of time.  My paintings of what I’m observing in the present will be informed by people’s memories of the past.  Time passes inevitably, and this project will approach the present, recent past, and distant past equally without a bias of one being inherently better than another.  As time passes, what become valuable are not the objects or locations themselves but rather the relationships people have with those places.  My project will use the fact that memories and experiences are what give a place value to someone.  Different people will have different memories of a place.  My challenge will be to create paintings that many people can relate to their own experiences, so that my project will truly portray Swissvale in an honest, specific, and in depth way.  I will exhibit the paintings and the oral history together so that they will complement each other and work together to give the viewer an understanding of the borough that they would not have otherwise."