Now the full-spectrum tonal treatment is beginning to be eclipsed by the natural colors as they dominate the visual landscape.
The long view shows the horizon of the mural starting to be easily recognizable by the various 'fingerprint' images that begin to go pop.
More and more local people along with their friends and relatives are trickling in for a sneak preview as word leaks out to coffee row that this ambitious project is taking form right under the collective noses of the community.
I usually just keep right on working when curious visitors -many of which are stakeholders in the project as they have lent their family name and cherished archival images to the overall design. Every single person and event that will be ultimately represented are specific to the community of Young. Between myself and the steering committee we scoured through well over one-hundred images to narrow down the scope to the final authorized design.
The large portraits on the upper right-hand side begin to dominate the space, appearing to loom large behind the word 'forever', which is an important graphic element in the overall design.
I decided to frame this photo to include the entire word 'YOUNG', or at least the portion of the word visible in the upper 3/5ths of the mural. The length of the word exceeds forty feet. With the addition of all of the various details and color fields behind and around the word, it now starts to take on a three-dimensional effect...hovering in front of all the activity. You will see as the painting progresses that there is actually a playful relationship between the graphic 'YOUNG' and its environ.
The life-sized team of four oxen at the upper right-hand side of the mural almost appear to be protruding out of the panel, thanks to the forceful use of strong contrasting colors and a simplification of the shapes and textures to be recognizable in a slightly exaggerated, theatrical style of painting. Mural-painting is much more than merely painting large. Successful murals must be designed and painted to be viewed from a great distance so the features must out of necessity be graphically vital.
Dennis Sather's aunt is shown operating her new-fangled washing machine. At the time the original picture was taken, this machine would have been a top-of-the-line modern convenience for the farm-wife. This picture has about five glazes so far. Probably about 5-7 to go.
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