Quent Cordair Fine Art

The most obvious change since the last post is the completion of the hearth. The hearth stones were painted in much the same way as the rest of the fireplace but with a concrete tile texture instead of rough stone. I have to say I have really enjoyed painting the stone in this piece, and am very happy with the way it has turned out.

After the hearth was basically finished, I spent a great deal of time touching up the rest of the fireplace, especially the mantle, by adding highlights all in one color (to bring the different colored stones together) and sharpening edges with deep shadow tones.

With the fireplace finished (except for the fire) I was still not happy with the wall behind the figure. It seemed too smooth and flat, almost unfinished compared with the rich texture of the stone and hardwood. I decided to paint a concrete support into the corner of the room. It adds just enough detail to the wall to bring the piece together, and I like the slightly industrial construction feeling it adds to the architecture of the room. In any case, I am now ready to begin work on the interior of the fireplace, and the fire itself. As important as the figure is in any figurative work, I really think that the execution of the fire in this piece will make or break the painting…so I am going to give it quite a bit of attention. The first step will definitely be finding a good source of reference material.

Most of the stonework on the fireplace is now complete, as well as the black metal trim around the firebox. There will definitely be touch ups, and very likely a brighter highlight painted on the stones once the fire is finished and its relative brightness is established. I decided to lighten the section of wall just behind the fireplace to add a little depth to the left side of the composition (it was looking a little flat), but when the figure is complete I may decide to darken the wall again if it is competing too much with the foreground. The next big project is the fire itself, which I will be able to begin working on as soon as the hearth is finished.

The last bit of background left to paint is the fireplace. I had a hard time finding reference material for this as I have mentioned before, and ended up fabricating the entire thing. As a reference for the texture of the stone and the concrete, I am actually using the stonework on the exterior of my house, and tweaking the color to give the feeling of firelight. For both the stone and the concrete I am working in two layers. The base layer gives a basic rough form to the stone in a mid-tone. The second layer adds the roughness to the surface with shadow and highlights. When the whole fireplace is finished I will go back and add a third level of detail while smoothing out anything that seems out of place. I am estimating another three to four days of work left before I reach that point.

At this point, the floor and the walls are complete. A richer layer of oil has been added to the floor to make it a bit more lustrous, and the reflection of the fireplace has been painted in. I did end up repainting the section of wall left of the figure. The original color was too green in contrast to the floor, and I felt the shadow from the reflected light off of the chair was too strong. I also lightened the floor board at the base of the wall on the right, and changed the detail in the woodwork. I am much happier with the room now. The next big step will be the fireplace. I am working on finding some good reference material for the stone and for the fire itself. I have to admit, I am getting anxious to begin work on the figure.

I began working on the interior of the room by blocking in the wall colors. I am working wet on wet, and since I don’t really have any reference material for the walls, I am still experimenting a bit with the colors. I have decided to get the floor painted, and maybe even the fireplace, and then see if the color of the walls needs reworking. I will definitely go back in once the colors are dry and do some touch up, and a little highlighting where the light from the fire strikes most directly. The problem with photographing a painting in progress is that the wet paint really reflects a lot of light, and brush strokes that do not show up in the original, and certainly won’t be so distinct in the finished piece, really stand out in the photo. Hopefully I will be able to get a better picture once the paint has dried a bit.

I really enjoy painting wood, as you may guess from looking at my other paintings. I worked as a cabinet and furniture maker for several years, and had plenty of time and opportunity to observe wood on a fairly intimate level. I think getting the colors right is the key to the whole thing… after that, you almost can’t screw it up. The floor is basically finished on the right side of the piece, with the exception of a light oil glaze to add some luster and a few highlights to set it off and give it a varnished look. Those steps will be some of the last work on the piece.