Big Painting!!

  

Here it is at long last!  So many hours I put into getting to this big painting and actually painting it.  Don't ask how many hours it took, because I seriously do not know.  I don't think hours make a painting.  Sometimes, everything falls into place and it seems I spend little time on a painting, then I struggle on the next one and it seems like it takes much too long.  My sarcastic answer to how long it took to paint this is 30 years.  My whole life has led to this current painting.  Each and every painting before this was also from many years/hours of practicing art; all time I spent devoted to making photographs, drawings, and paintings.  The most enjoyable part of making art is the process.  When I complete a painting, it is bittersweet.  My goal was to complete the painting but now it's done, what's next?  Luckily, I have so many ideas and if I don't have ideas, it only takes a hike to get inspired.  This painting is part of my thesis project for my master's degree.  I will be displaying this four by five foot painting along with the photos, drawings, and small studies I did to plan for this big painting.  I probably won't attempt a painting this big in a while, my studio is too small for this size.  The painting was a challenge but rewarding, I looked forward to the next block of time I could spend working on it.  Now, I will let it dry, spray it with damar retouch varnish and decide if it needs touch up.  Oh yeah, and autograph it.  This painting will be on display November 19th at Prescott College.  I will probably show it after that at my work, The Frame & I, when the dust settles from completing revising the rest of my thesis work, so much time and energy now to devote to writing and editing and writing some more.  Wish me luck!  Any ideas for a title?  I was thinking simply "The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River."  I could not get a good photo of the painting in my studio because of the size, I took two photos and stitched them together.  Once it is dry, I will take it outside where there is more space. 

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Details of Big Painting