Twin Suns Mural, first three days

Hey Visionary Art Fans,

I’ve been working on a new project that has forced me to break convention and go old school, which means a big wall, very little planning, and using a 2- or 3-inch brush to do most of the work. Admittedly, I’m not as  experience working with latex paint, walls, and mixing colors on the fly, but it has been a good learning experience and a really fun project.  Only 4 main colors, shades of blue, yellow, orange, and red, with some white and (barely any) black for tint.  I’m having to figure out how the colors work together to create a sunset as I go.

The concept is simple: Twin suns on the Salt Lake City skyline. It’s at a new restaurant which is Star Wars themed, and the owner wanted to bring a little Tatooine to Utah. We have gorgeous sunsets in the western desert, and the sunsets over the Great Salt Lake are particularly beautiful.

Three days into a 5 day project.  Here are a few photos of the work in progress done September 10 – 12, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah:

Should have done this part with a roller.  It tool too long to do with a brush. And always two to three coats.

Practicing my clouds. Turns out Bob Ross made it look way easier than it is. Spent a whole day trying to figure out how to get the right colors, highlights, darkness and shape.

Once I knew where the suns were going, I had to add more color to get it to look right. Seriously, how do figure out how two sources of light interact with each other? Seems like the second setting sun would still be lighting up the sky. Might have to do a field trip to Tatooine to learn more.

Starting to add the darkness to the clouds. Added the street grid but will add more bright colors to this part later. Still a lot to put in before it’s done. At least two more days work, which I’ll finish in a couple weeks.