Or the Lobster Pot, in this case.
I’d been wanting to tackle a painting of this restaurant since the first time I’d seen it. It’s a fun subject, with the bowed-out second floor, architectural details, and all those NEON LIGHTS!!! The neon sign over the door wraps around the corner of the building, so even the angles of the letters shift. Anywhere the neon light hits is bathed in a pink glow, while the shadows pick up the twilight sky and lean towards deep purple and blue.
First step was a quick color study on a toned canvas to establish the palette and composition. I do these on little 5×7 canvas boards as a test when I’m working on a more complex subject.
Often, I’ll tone the canvas and do the underpainting with burnt sienna, but in this case I used some permanent rose for the building’s glow. Satisfied with the overall scene, it was time to move onto a larger canvas.
It starts like this. Quick, messy, and vague. It’s easier to work out the general composition this way, and those colors will show through in places, creating the underglow. Painting isn’t a pretty process — at least until the end.
Moving along, I start blocking out the main colors. What had been a dining room is now my studio; it’s the best light for working. All the paintings on the shelves in the background are at one stage of completion or another. With oil, sometimes it helps to let them set for a few days while the paint sets before going in with the finer details like lettering and rigging. Fred looks on, unimpressed.
I’m working from multiple photos — daylight to see details and two night shots, showing how the light reflects.
And here’s where I am now, getting into the smaller details. There’s still neon to go into the arrow and the signs on the other side, window and interior details, as well as power lines, a bicycle, and a tree along the right side of the building. Stay tuned for the finished painting!
