My process
Understanding the Theme
In creating a mural I work with the client closely to understand their thoughts and needs for the project.
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Creating Rough Drafts
Once I understand the theme I create a series of rough drafts in color to show what I can do with the project and to get close to the theme in picture form. When one of these color drawings is approved I create a charcoal on paper of the values needed for the finished mural.
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Final Preparation
At this point I stretch the canvas onto the wood stretcher bars and size and prime the canvas. Each canvas painting is created on the highest archival quality Belgian linen possible and woven from strong, flax fiber yarn. I size and prime the canvas myself. It will have a life time equal to the fine oil paintings painted on linen canvas in Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.As soon as the canvas is ready, I prepare a scale drawing, and a drafting of the colors needed. I then use both the charcoal drawing and the color rough draft as my guide to complete the mural.
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Painting the Mural
The oil paint is Williamsburg handmade oil paint. But our twenty-first century has made vast improvements with the paint, so what I use is even better then what they once had in Europe. As the mural is painted I often send photos of its progress and listen to any feedback.
