installation

The process I've been documenting in this blog is complete. The drawing was expertly installed today by Ty Art (Chris, David, Christopher and Kyle), and there's nothing left to do. Here are some photos of the final day.

before installation

Here is the finished drawing, the left panel, and a detail of the left panel in the studio.

drawing completed

I finished the drawing this morning.

shadow study

This is a study for the work I'll begin tomorrow - painting/drawing the shadows on the banner. Note that the placement of the radiating lines in the actual commission has been changed; I decided I wanted them radiating out from a point behind the word "truth."

masking tape removed

Okay, I'm getting closer. Yesterday I sprayed varnish on the drawing, and tonight I finished taking off the masking tape that covered the banner. Next I have to paint the shadows in the banner, which is a much different mental process than creating the ground. Working on the ground is a more spontaneous, intuitive act in which the image I'm trying to achieve has to comport in some way with the image I have in my head. Painting the shadows is more about looking carefully and painting what I see. Installation is scheduled for a week from tomorrow. Lots left to do.

grounds complete

Today I finished snapping the lines and working the ground. After that I took the plastic mask off and filled in the cut-out letters with charcoal. As you can see above, the charcoal smudged outside the contour of the letters. When I take the masking tape off, the letters should be crisp and precise. Next step is to spray the painting with varnish. Then I'll take off the masking tape and paint the shadows on the banner. Then I'll spray another coat of varnish on the painting. Then, I'll let it dry for a couple of days, roll the two canvasses onto tubes, and wait for Ty Art to pick them up next Friday.

progress

Here's a compilation image of where the drawing is now (twenty six feet compressed into four inches). I'm almost finished applying the charcoal snap lines, and almost finished with the grounds. After that, I'll fill in the letters, then I'll spray the letters and ground with a fixative/acrylic picture varnish, then I'll finally take off the masking tape and "paint" the shadows in the banner with charcoal and water.