Thursday, August 23, 2012

Le Carousel at Bryant Park

Carousel 12x12"  Oil

After I got done painting Patience, the Lion Statue, who posed so gracefully and perfectly still, I decided to ratchet up the anxiety level and go for something that moved continuously. The Carousel beckoned me... kids jumping on and off, the horses and frogs and carriages a whirring blur of color. I would have killed to work from a photo, but that was not the nature of this gig. Truth be known, this is not my favorite painting of the batch. I scraped, re-worked and re-painted many areas; it got a bit overworked. However, I will pat myself on the back for taking it on. It was way beyond my comfort level. I can't say that I succeeded in pulling off a great painting, but I definitely succeeded in "feeling the fear and doing it anyways". Hey, why play it safe when you can torture yourself for kicks? ha ha
Below is a photo of me wrestling with this alligator...

9 comments:

Jerry Stocks said...

Wow!!! Despite the many wipes, this is a great painting.

Bruce Bingham said...

I love it! It has movement, I see how it could make you crazy!

Patti Mollica said...

Thanks guys. It was an excellent exercise in dealing with what felt like an impossible task. The company that hired me really liked it, I think it was their favorite of the bunch.

Christine said...

you really got the movement and excitement ....it makes me a little nauseous to even attempt it...congrats!

angie Brooksby-Arcangioli said...

Hi Patti, I like it lots. You can come paint in my studio anytime!! I'm planning to go to NY spring 2013. I'l email you.

Nancy Colella said...

What a trooper you are! I would have been in tears. Great painting!

Traffic Pulse India said...

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Jill Banks said...

I just read your blog posts about your two-week stint in New York and would love to hear more about your tricks and techniques in dealing with moving subjects. Congratulations on doing it anyway!

I've done some of the same ... but not in crowds on NYC streets. Love the story of the guy sitting at your table. Pretty funny.

Now you can do anything.

Patti Mollica said...

Thanks guys... yes, painting moving things is a whole different ballgame, and not easy. its a combination of memorization, sketching, looking closely and remembering as much as possible, simplification, and just going for the big siljouette shapes without freaking out about the inner detail. its easy to start to freak out but, like i said before, painting or drawing anything fast is a fabulous exercise in general. It helps that I couldn't give up, because they were paying me to stay there! I had to deal with the chaos :-)