Newly armed with a meter-long ruler, and a protractor, I came back to fix the drawing (the Weissman's were being very nice, but were obviously quite worried about the fate of their wall).
The time away from the mural had also given me time to think about how to deal with making the garden move back in space. Creating a trompe l'oiel effect was going to be difficult when I was trying to make the three-dimensional sink--which was sticking out--look like it was moving back.
- The first thing I did was darken the blue slightly with a wash of indigo--this would make the garden brighter (and so look more "outdoors") by contrast.
- Next, I sketched in the line of the inner gateway. I made it wider than I had thought to originally, in order to give more of an impression of moving back.
- Creating the shape of the archway was difficult. In order to keep the symmetry, I ended up cutting out a pattern from a large piece of cardboard, and then flipping it over to make the second side.
- To gate the perspective lines from the inner doorway to the outer doorway, I snapped some twine to my vanishing point, which I placed right above the faucet.
- Once I had the shape of the archway working, I began to work up the delicacy of shading, adding color details to the garden and step.
- I also added in the pathway. I had originally asked the Weissmans to cover the sink drain with a box, so that I could incorporate it into the mural. That plan hadn't worked out, so I simply worked around it.
The final details were added the next morning: the golden pattern was traced in metallic point with the help of several doilies. The last elements to be added were the touches of red.
And here it is, in all its glory:
First of all, it's fascinating to get inside the mind of an artist and read through the details of the process that I didn't fully absorb as you were creating our piece. Second, you absolutely managed to translate my bumbling articulation of what I was envisioning: "deep blue, some yellow and green, with Moroccan allusions if you can wing it" into a dream that is much more than just a wall in our home. It's the centerpiece, and I get lost in it every time I pass by (which doesn't bode so well for my productivity at the moment, but what a joy to have such a thing of beauty greet me every time I walk through the door!) Much love to you and appreciation of your incredible talent -- Tamar
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