As the second mural of the Saskatchewan Government Employees' Union (SGEU) commission comes swiftly to fruition -as promised- I will take a pause for the cause and post some more pictures of the "work-in-progress". Sometimes it's a challenge to keep up with myself, as once I get painting, I have to make a conscious effort to stop long enough to photograph my progress! You will recall that the last picture(s) in my previous post showed the addition of a translucent "violet" glaze. After this, it was time to add the "translucent blue" glaze.
The shadowy bits really start to sing with the addition of a "blue glaze".
With the addition of each successive glaze -in this case blue- the image increasingly "pops".
When contrasted with the previous pictures (sans blue) you can see the amplification of the detail.
It's always exciting to watch the images clarify with each new glaze. Not only does each step add appreciable detail, but also beefs up the contrast...which of course is fundamental to the process.
The shapes and forms take on a more vivid appearance...
I decide to "pan" across the surface of the mural so you could see how the "global" approach to glazing...persisting in completing each successive treatment from left to right, and from up to down, before moving on to the next glaze. This approach creates a dynamic uniformity; put another way, visual continuity.
A sweeping view of the mural: 6' high (plus the extensions) x 24 running feet.
Remember, there is absolutely NO white aka light as of yet. The background hue -a warm golden orange- is standing by as the neutral base. It is only after all of the "tonal study" is completed that white is introduced for the first time.
As usual, the first step in starting any painting...from easel painting to the most massive mural...is separating the light from the dark by indicating everything "dark" with a translucent orange glaze. This the first step in the "tonal study" and must be executed across the entire surface. No dark shape, shadow or form is left behind. In case you haven't noticed, this "global glazing" technique creates a wonderful visual continuity from the very beginning of the 13-step process.
The so-called "global glazing" technique creates "visual continuity" throughout the 13-step process.
No shadow, shape or form that qualifies as "dark" is omitted in the first orange glaze.
When I start a painting, I work methodically across the entire surface to indicate separation between light and dark. This "global" approach not only keeps the process nicely organized, but also immediately creates a certain continuity, which will pay off in spades as the painting develops.
Time to fire up the 2nd glaze, a translucent red.
With each successive glaze, the resolution increases dramatically. I consider the first glazes as "sketch" glazes, preparatory studies that allow me to make critical decisions in the refinement of the detail. This is possible due to the fact that each glaze presents so much more detail.
The second (red) glaze nears completion.
You can plainly see that the details of the mural increase exponentially with each successive glaze.
Look what happens with the addition of the "violet" glaze!
Once I initiate the "violet" glaze, things really start to pop. I think of violet as the first really definitive glaze, as far as the resolution of the detail goes. Put it this, you better make sure that you have a good handle on the composition and detail by this time, because by now, you are definitely committed!
Violet is a definitive glaze, as it really pops the detail.
I always find it so gratifying to reach glaze three, which is a translucent violet. Even with ten remaining glazes to full-on technicolor, the violet glaze creates a powerful impression of the potential of the image.
From one end to another and from top to bottom, each glaze is methodically applied.
This so-called "Global Glazing" technique is something that I have meticulously developed over the course of sixty-odd large murals and hundreds of easel paintings. Make no mistake about it, this technique was developed over many years of trial and error, but mostly it is common sense when the desired end game is a lustrous, rich, life-like result.
The third glaze (translucent violet) shown in its completion.
Followers of my blog will recognize that each glaze serves to enhance all of the preceding glazes. One of the huge advantages of employing the "translucent" glaze is that all of the successive glazes mingle and dance with their fellow glazes. Nothing gets "buried" as I progress through the complete 13-step process, but rather, all of the glazes compliment each other, glowing in their full-spectrum glory. So stay tuned, as this mural will blossom rapidly in front of your eyes!
If you want to see a sneak preview of the entire 13-step process, feel free to check out this 48-second video that I created a while back.
Yesterday a friend of mine visited our gallery and requested that I explain the "plan" regarding the two murals commissioned by Saskatchewan Government Employees' Union (SGEU) here in my home province. She then proceeded to catch my response on her video camera.
To reiterate, once the two murals are finished, they will be permanently housed at the new SGEU HQ in Regina, and will be photographed with a large format digital camera. The original images will then be enlarged 200% to be pressed into service as highway billboards across the province. A design firm based in Vancouver will be charged with the task of computer generating a slogan and the SGEU logo, to be superimposed over my artwork.
As you can imagine, this is all very exciting for me, because my artwork will potentially be viewed by millions of eyeballs in such a high-traffic public setting.
After another weekend of painting, the first of the two murals commissioned for SGEU is about 90% finished. How do I know that, you ask? Here's how... typically I use a technique that requires exactly 13 translucent glazes...I counted!
After several more days of concentrated painting, the first of two murals commissioned by the good folks at Saskatchewan Government Employees' Union (SGEU) is coming along nicely.
Now that this mural is up and running, my painting instincts are kicking
This has been a very enjoyable painting process, with a certain amount of flexibility that has allowed me to stretch my creative muscles. I'm finding that my instincts and experience in mural-painting are holding me in good stead as work progresses. With a project of this magnitude, it is important to remember the end-game. These murals will be digitally captured with large format cameras once I pronounce them "finished". The resulting photographs will be enlarged 200% to create highway billboards throughout the province of Saskatchewan. Bearing this rather astonishing fact in mind, my artwork needs to be sensitive to the context.
You can see that after a few more good days of painting productivity, the images are emerging as quite vivid.
The rendering of the thematic figures needs to be therefore a bit exaggerated, or put another way, the details must be on the "theatrical" side, with very pronounced features. It would not be appropriate, considering the fact that the observers of the highway billboard replications will be whizzing by at highway speed, to be overly subtle with the "visual fingerprints" of the design.
My "Pride of Ownership" rings true with the Saskatchewan-based
So, it should not surprise you, dear reader, that my approach to this visual spectacle is to paint in a muscular style. I am sure it will be very interesting to see the effect of these massive photographs based on my original artwork. I'm already wrestling with the concept that every brush stroke will ultimately be enlarged to twice its natural size!
Please stay tuned, I will be updating this project on a regular basis as work continues.
Please visit my website www.mrgaudet.com for more samples of my artwork and to read about my upcoming book, called "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality".
After several weeks of negotiating, work has commenced with a vengeance on the two murals for Saskatchewan Government Employees' Union (SGEU). The "negotiating" part involved hashing out what and who specifically would end up being featured in the murals. There were quite a few considerations with this. First and foremost, all of the characters needed to be relevant and topical.
Second, there had to be an "aesthetic" sensitivity to the entire layout. (My job to ensure this!)
I decided to build a temporary frame, to hold the panels, in our back yard.
I suspect that the main reason why my submission to SGEU to undertake this (fairly ambitious) project in the first place was approved out of twenty-six "serious proposals" was mainly due to my mural-painting portfolio. My working portfolio clearly telegraphs the fact that my career has been built on murals. In my case, it is not so much "wishful thinking", as proof positive that I have both the experience and credentials to carry it off.
Like this.
Having dealt successfully with all of these concerns (and more), I was delighted to get a positive green light to go ahead, and have now splashed on the first...um...five or so glazes.
Once the layout was lightly sketched on the primed panels, I was eager to start painting.
You can imagine, after looking at the sketches for the past few weeks, I was very happy to start actually painting. Put another way, I was biting at the bit! Without any more hesitation, I dove straight into painting. There is not a lot of guesswork here. I have pretty much nailed down the technique now, after so much painting leading up to this project.
By the end of the first, long day of painting, I had pretty much completed the first two glazes.
One of the most exciting things about this technique is that we get to see the entire surface area virtually "come to life" simultaneously. I will not "micro-manage" a certain area...because that would not be the best approach to mural-painting. Rather, it all...paradoxically, gets painted at once, if you get what I mean. I was happy to find out today that there is a dedicated portal on the www that will feature regular updates on this project. It's really well conceived. Check it out here.
Sasktel Max TV mandates a steady stream of locally-produced short films that feature various characters from all walks of life including, of course, artists and authors. Last month the film crew from Bamboo Shoots created a ten-minute short film that features yours truly.
It was a really interesting experience to work with the professional producer and videographer from Saskatoon-based firm Bamboo Shoots. They were very open to my suggestions about locations and even themes throughout the process. Once I had a chance to think about, I suggested three ideas: 1) we shoot some footage at my studio, while flipping through a broad selection of some of my favorite easel paintings, 2) we conduct an interview and book reading from my dialysis unit in Saskatoon, and 3) we spend some quality time at Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church (again in Saskatoon...how convenient!) to feature my most ambitious mural EVER.
I am very grateful to the folks at Bamboo Shoots who were so diligent in their unflagging pursuit of the truth, no matter how challenging and difficult it must have been to unwrap. It could not have been easy for them to witness the trial of dialysis. I've heard it described by the uninitiated as "gory", but let me assure you as a person whose life depends on this thrice-weekly blood-cleaning therapy, that it is my reality.
Gory or not, is for you to decide, dear reader. Let me remind you that millions of people worldwide are sustained by some form of dialysis on a daily basis as they await the "Gift of Life", aka a living or deceased kidney donor. That is, the vast majority of dialysis patients are anxiously awaiting their chance of a better, healthier life with a kidney transplant. In some cases though, this modern technological marvel fails to manifest in a timely fashion for whatever reason and the potential recipient, being sustained (sometimes precariously) on dialysis succumbs to the ravages of kidney failure.
There are certainly no solid guarantees for any of us on the quest for the "Gift of Life". All we can all hope and pray for is a kidney transplant, executed expeditiously, or else we must languish on the dialysis unit. While this is often a viable option and a way to hopefully buy time, it must be said that a dialysis-dependent life is no fucking picnic.
It was with all of this in mind that I set out to create this Sasktel MaxTV short film. You might say I have a certain sense of dire urgency with this project and life in general. When I read the grim statistics about how many dialysis warriors perish (for whatever reason) while awaiting the intervention of a kidney transplant.
You may recall that I received a kidney transplant on October 17th, 1979, thanks to the courageous and loving sacrifice of my brother Steven, who donated one of his kidneys to save my life as a 20-year old. His gift allowed me to thrive and prosper for over 34 years. In mid-May of 2014 I was obliged to return once again to the life of a dialysis patient.
So now, everything comes around full-circle, as I stare down the reality of kidney failure. I have to shore up my courage and determination to carry on with a smile and a twinkle in my eye as I once again embark on that quest for the "Gift of Life". A huge part of this "cup half-full" attitude derives from the fact that Book 1 of the "Dancing..." trilogy is about to be launched in the next short while. This writing project has sustained me over the past several years, I think because I am gambling that it will ultimately ensure some small measure of "immortality". After my early brush with death, the idea of immortality coupled in a slow dance with obscurity has haunted my thoughts.
