Welcome back!
This week we’ll move on to an entirely new project. I will be painting a structure in my own town, the Elephant Hotel, a mid nineteenth century structure now utilized as the home of the town government.
The town, Somers, New York, calls itself the cradle of the American circus. In the early nineteenth century, Hachaliah Bailey began the menagerie (which included an elephant) which eventually became the core of the Barnum and Bailey circus. Yes, he was that Bailey. But I believe that the Bailey in Barnum and Bailey is actually one of Hachaliah’s descendents.
The town’s library is hosting an exhibition of artwork depicting the old hotel in a few weeks. Hopefully this piece will turn out well enough that I’ll want to offer it for the show.
The photo below (my own) depicts the hotel as it is currently seen.
I’ve begun the first few brushstrokes. Once again, this is probably the most important phase of the painting. Although nothing is written in stone, placement of the main elements has an impact upon everything that follows. The initial lines are seen below.
Next week I’ll start filling things in. See you then.
