Dance Studio panel

In a rash moment I offered to paint another panel in the dance studio.  It is a push, but I think I can get a good start on it today.  The site overlooks the murals through floor-to-ceiling windows.  Should be nice if I can pull it off.

Dance studio prior with panel grounded with ochers.

(Later)  I worked all day on the panel with few breaks.  One more day should do it.  I plan to pull some blue-greens down from the top, as is evident in the mural panels outside the windows.  

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (blog) and additional shots of the mural

Yesterday, Susan Campos, a Costa Rican/Spanish ethnomusicologist associated with the highly prestigious Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Spain) came to the school to meet Jorge and me.  Here is a posting she wrote about Jorge's and my work with indigenous people (CEDIA) as well as my murals at the main campus of the University of Costa Rica (1986) and the current project at the Escuela Municipal de Artes Integradas de Santa Ana.  http://www.susancampos.es/blog/emai/

Meanwhile, here are more shots of the mural with especially good light.  Some shots are from the second story dance studio.

The website for the Escuela Municipal de Artes Integradas in Santa Ana

http://www.emaicr.com

The scaffolding has been removed!

Though there is much to touch-up and perhaps add/subtract, due to the need for publicity photos, I finished the top third (or more) of all three of the lower panels, applied the varnish (a special satin acrylic varnish) and removed the scaffolding.  For the first time I can fully see the composition.  Jorge Luis Acevedo, Director and Founder of the School of Integrated Arts and Cesar Cuello, 82 year-old Argentine muralist who has been doing work here the school for three years, helped me move the scaffolding and assess the state of the mural.  Finally seeing the work without peering through the structure of the scaffolding called for a bit of levity.  We shortly went for a fine Italian lunch.

Cesar Cuello and Ron Mills

Jorge Acevedo and Cesar Cuello

Closing in...

Another day up high.  Panel #2 took longer than I expected today but I like the results...it is an attempt to include two elements that the four short panels have lacked...high contrast (white on dark blue-green) figures, as in the tall panel, and an element out of scale, something else that I worked with in the tall panel.  (Isabel's idea)  I borrowed a maternal face "on high" (not that I had one!) and a child.   I also deepened the contrasts on the lower female figure (panel #2) and worked on a high element in panel #4.

Tomorrow I will deepen some values in panels #3 and#4 and varnish what I have finished.  I learned that touchup over the varnish is very nice; it sticks fine and allows very thin glazes and washes.  Later another layer of the varnish will hold it permanently.

Simplification of negative space

I had a good day on the scaffolding.  Panel #2 is mostly finished but lacks one final figure at the top to better participate in the flow above.   I eliminated several figures left-middle to create a rich yellow-pink field of open space/silence.  That helped unify the entire four panel composition and let the middle figure, which I like, impart more drama.   Panel #3 is finished on top and varnished; may be worked on below, but not much is necessary at this point.  Panel #4 lacks something luminous at the top and something with more gravitas at the bottom.   Will post images tomorrow.  The light was poor as I was finishing the day.

Less than a week to finish!

Here are a few shots Jorge took of the status of the work and me working. 

Weekend progress

I drew a lot over the weekend and had another good day today, mostly drawing. Here are a few passages.  Some of the line work will remain as is, other parts will be more rendered and appear more solid, though overall I am I am seeking transparency and a sense of motion.  There will be more glazes and modeled passages, but the composition and sense of choreography is coming together, I think.  Lots and lots of hands and feet!  I have figures now established on all four panels.