Porta Maggiore

Porta Maggiore

Porta Maggiore, sketch. Oil on panel, 8×10″This place, Porta Maggiore, is hugely impressive when you come upon it, usually in the midst of congested traffic. Once a Roman gate, it is now a busy intersection where buses, trains, trams, cars, pedestrians and mopeds all cross paths. It could seem a highly unlikely place to paint, but it is a place worth figuring out where exactly one can put an easel and manage to not get run over!This sketch, while not so successful, in that I wanted to capture more of the place but only had this little panel to paint on, is a start in what will be a series of paintings I think. I’m always captured by the white of the marble against the deep blue sky with those perfect little clouds floating by.In fact, I painted 3 sketches here, none of which are yet exactly what I wanted to capture, but today I plan to go back and try again. The drawing is tricky for me and composing it right is essential.I was recently watching a video of David Curtis painting, and at some point he said something like he just puts his easel down and gets to work without giving too much thought to the whole composition, hoping that it will work out. Man, can I relate to that! That’s how I feel most times, setting up when I found something about the light that really strikes me and just get to work without planning it all out. In this case it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted, but it is my hand that is controlling the brush.. Sometimes I just get caught up in thinking too much and then it’s all over.Here’s back to the drawing board, but at least I’m inspired.