Have You Ever ..

(I usually dread sentences that start out this way), Created something or even owned something, parted ways with it, then either sooner or later regretted doing so? I don't want to answer for you, but I can imagine the majority of us poor souls have. I was in my home office/studio last night, paying a bill or two, and re-realized that I still dearly miss a painting that I once created a good while ago. I saw an image of this painting, just before the screen saver flickered off and the desktop appeared. It was one of a painting I called 'Beers'.

I Was Commissioned To Paint This ..

Soon after a couple of friends of ours visited Disney's Epcot Center, in Orlando Florida, for their beer and wine festival. They were strolling around the park and took notice of a vendor selling paintings. He had several pieces, but one in particular caught their eye; A collage of beer boxes and cans painted on a 4 foot by 6 foot piece of canvas. I believe the artist was asking somewhere between $6,000 and $7,000 USD for the piece. They were in the market for a beer themed painting for their bar area, but didn't have the funds to purchase this one. They asked me if I would be interested in painting something similar to it for them on commission. I agreed to take on this project thinking it would be fun and adventurous. I was right! It was both fun and adventurous, but I grew to realize it was also frustrating, time consuming, and in the end heartbreaking. I watched as it was placed onto the wall, near my friends bar. I was excited to see it hanging there and to see their huge smiles as their eyes examined every detail of their newly acquired masterpiece, but at the same time I was already feeling the sadness of having to part ways with it. I spent so much time with this piece, that it felt like I was loosing a little part of myself; Like a loved one moving far away.

As I Collected My Money ..

All $300 dollars of it, two things became very clear to me. The first was that I charged too little. I spent almost 85 hours on the painting, but in my defense, I was taking on this work for the fun of it and did not expect it to take that long. The second thing that became apparent to me, was knowing this wouldn't be my last painting of this kind. Have I painted one since giving this one away? The answer is no. The want to paint something similar is still lingering in my brain. I feel it building and at some point I won't be able to deny it. The timing has to be right and I don't think it is just yet. I am not giving up on this goal. My life is much busier and a little more complicated now, unlike the period of time when I was painting 'Beers'. Painting another painting as complex as this one, will be a time investment. Once I start it, there will be no turning back. If I start it, I want to commit to it, so the timing HAS to be right.

For Now I Will Just Have To Be Satisfied ..

That I am able to get that off my chest, and that I still have a few pictures to share with you. I was smart enough to grab a few progress photo's along the way. My phone camera at the time (LG Envy) sucked, but I still got a few good ones. Forgive me for the blurry ones. From start to finish, I relied on a few actual bottles and boxes, but primarily I worked from photos off of the internet. I looked up each individual beer and took detailed notes on colors and sizes of bottles. The hours I spent researching for this painting should have been my first indication that this was no small project. I worked from a list of the beers that I knew this couple drank, and threw in a few additional ones for interest.

What is time spent, if it's spent doing what you love to do?

The Painting Had To Be ..

Of manageable size as well as fit the dimensions of the wall in which it would eventually hang. After consulting them, and determining exactly what they wanted, I decided the painting would measure 2 feet tall by 4 feet wide. The painting would also be frame-less. I designed it to be supported from the rear so it would sit away from the wall and could be hung without seeing any wires. After applying a thick coat of Gesso primer, and striking my horizon line (the line that represented the back of the table), I was ready to apply some paint and get this 'Beers' show on the road!

I Began with the foreground, or table top, and the background, which would end up being primarily black. After those two things were established, I moved on to throwing in a little white paint in areas I knew the majority of the light would be coming from. All of the white would eventually be covered up with boxes and bottles, but I needed to do this for my own mind. As I painted in each of the items in that area, I would have just a little white paint there to remind me of direction of light. I do not know if this is a good idea, but it works for me. Having never taken an art class beyond high school, or having anybody to guide me, I think my self taught ways are good enough and serving me well.

With my background and foreground established, and having a pretty good idea about the direction of light, I am ready and begin laying out where my beer boxes are going to be. I don't always stick with working back to front when painting, but for this one it was kind of necessary (for the most part at least). I wanted to make sure I had enough room, kept boxes proportional and balanced, and left space for my beer bottles in the foreground. After all they would end up being the stars of the show!

We are ready for a little color now. For the next several hours (like 20 to 30 hours and over several days) I was fixated on referencing web photos and pieces of actual boxes to create a fictitious scene that sat in my mind. Slowly but surly I sat and painted each box with just enough detail to pass as realistic. The mind has a funny way of inserting the details that may actually be missing. I suppose it's cheating, but I'm not going for hyper realism here.

Yup, I decided on throwing in a six pack at the last minute. It was looking like too many boxes, and I wanted to break things up a little.

The boxes are pretty much done, except for a few details possibly. Now it's time to move on to the bottles. The original painting they looked at was composed of cans. My thought was that bottles are a little more classy and much prettier than tin cans. Just my opinion, and overall the opinion of many who have seen the final piece up close. Painting glass is tricky. Add a colored liquid inside of it, or color to the glass, and it becomes a much trickier process. Given all that had to be taken into consideration, in order to pull of realistic and believable looking bottles of beer, the process was a success. Again, I referenced photos and real bottles in order to get most of the details right. Are they spot on? No, but close enough for this amateur. I kept a constant awareness of the color of the glass, the sizes of the bottles as the compared to one another, label direction and color, light direction and reflection as well as shadow placement. There was a lot to think about, and I met the challenge head on.

On the right side of the painting, I couldn't resit adding an open bottle of Yuengling (brewed in nearby Pennsylvania), mostly filled glass (somebody has obviously been drinking.. not me.. wink wink) and cap on the table.

I made sure to allow myself the freedom to not be to critical over the realistic details. I wanted brushstrokes to be seen. I wanted things to be a little imperfect. I'm not a perfect painter. I don't have the talent or ability to be that hyper realistic painter. Who wants a painting that looks that real anyhow? They could have saved money and printed off a picture of beer. Although maybe not for what I charged them.. haha. I was okay with the imperfections and really had no choice but to embrace them.. and also hoped and prayed that no one noticed anything off or out of place. So far that hasn't been the case :-D

I Am Still SUPER PROUD ..

Of my accomplishment of taking on more than I was really ready for, both mentally and artistically. Sometimes I don't know where that talent came from. How did I pull this one off? Maybe, just maybe, I am a better artist than I realize. That's a good feeling to have.

I thought it would be nice to include a photo of my home studio work area.

Nothing special. I made my own work table from scratch with no plans (something else that I was proud of). It works well to support large paintings as well as smaller ones. It's comfortable to sit at and the top tilts when I need a different angle. A light, my paint and brushes, paint thinner, rags, and countless other things are close by and handy. This was the last time that painting sat there, before heading down to the garage for sealer. I sealed it with six coats of oil paint fixative and let it dry for a few weeks. After that, it was wrapped in plain brown paper and hand delivered to my friends. Their smiles were all I needed to remind me those countless hours of painting beer, were worth every minute.

And no hangover!

'Beers' ~ by B. D. Miller

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

My Facebook Shop

OR

My Etsy Store

If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).

“A flower’s appeal is in its contradictions — so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect.” – Terri Guillemets

I Proudly Support The SBD Potato: Peg Repair Community Initiative

Beneficiary Declaration: This is a 15% @sbdpotato beneficiary post!