Shell Harvest- a new painting

Whew, its been a while since I posted. I lost my password and haven't been able to log in. Well, I started a new painting titled "Shell Harvest" It is a 48"x36" piece consisting of five wood panels. Each panel moves the story forward of a girl on a beach collecting shells to create a necklace. Sounds lame, but it looks great. Why five odd shaped canvases? I wanted to break the story up like a comic book page. This would also give me a chance to play with different line making styles and color combinations.

This is the initial sketch.



This is the first panel. An establishing shot of the beach.



The first middle panel is of a Mayan statue that as been encrusted with coral reef and battered by the tides. The idea carries over from my last work, "Finding Roots". Its significance? A marker to show where the reef ends. That is also the reason for the staff (not seen here) The staff has a large conch shell at its head, with ribbons, feathers and streamers of vibrant cloththat will flap into the next panel.



A detail of the head.



This is the middle panel of the girl collecting shells. With each panel I wanted time to pass as well, which is why the color shifts from clear blue of mid morning to darker blues and orange of dusk. (the photo is totally off regarding color, a cheap digital camera).


The next panel is one that I'm really looking forward to. It will take place at night, lit by candle. I had alot of trouble with the hands and the angle so I asked my friend Marta to model for me.



As for the last panel, it will be the necklace, fully stretched out against a black background. I haven't sketched it yet.