The larger the better when it comes to Cityscapes. I have done a number
of over-sized charcoal paintings over the years. Unlike portraits, landscapes and buildings can be altered without offending the subject. This one is 8-foot and hangs in the building pictured on the far left (now Spiro's Restaurant in the old Peninsula Hotel). "Gig Harbor in 1996" shows the downtown virtually unchanged since the early 1940's. A
blinking red stop light on the left still hangs from wires that stretch above the
roadway to rustic wood utility poles. I wanted to capture the
character of the downtown before new development unravels it. Its unpolished, casual pace is changing.
Below is a close-up of the left side of the work in process. The tree began with a dark layer of charcoal. The leaves and clouds were pulled out as highlights using a kneaded eraser. Only with a good cotton fiber base is layering possible. (Paper or pulp-based products just won't hold up.)
