Summer Mosaic 2017 Recap: Days 26-42

One question I get quite a bit is how long does each painting take to paint.  Of course this isn’t completely a straightforward question to answer.

​It depends.  It depends mostly on how much detail the painting has – the more details to work on, the more time it takes.  It also depends on the reference photo(s) I’m working from.  If the painting is very similar to the reference it takes less time than if I have to piece together many different reference photos to come up with the desired outcome.

From this project, paintings that are more simple probably took 1-2 hours to paint.  Paintings that were more intricate were probably closer to 5-6 hours each.  Anything with architecture added an extra level of difficulty with having to make sure that the perspective was correct were probably closer to the 10+ hours range. ​

This is of course all on top of the time that I took to prep the surface for each.  I suppose you could say that each painting took just the right amount of time to capture what it was that I was trying to portray in each.

How did I fit in this project while working 50 hour weeks at the day job last year?  Very carefully (there may have been many times that sleep was put to the side during the project).

If you’re just joining along now, welcome!  Last year was the first year of 171 Cedar Arts Center’s Summer Mosaic. The project was to create 50 pieces of artwork using 6″x6″ wooden panels in a 45 day time period.  The theme I picked was Around the Finger Lakes.  I used acrylic paint to transform each wood tile into different scenes from the local area.  (You can catch up with all the past days here.)

We’re heading through the home stretch of the 2017 recap now, this is the last week of the reviewing 2017 (one more Sunday blog post to come).  Do you have a favorite so far?  This week we looked at days 36-42 (daily over on Facebook and Instagram).  ​

This painting is based on the Centerway Square Clock Tower in downtown Corning, a popular landmark of the small city.  In researching the clock tower a little more I learned some interesting things!   The clock tower built as a memorial for Erastus Corning (who the city is named after) in 1883.  It stands 50 feet tall and the bell weighs 1400 pounds!  It was a popular watering hole for horses and still has a water spout at the base of the tower.

This painting is based from looking straight on the tower from the road, however my favorite way to view this area is via the parking garage just behind and to the left of the clock tower.  It’s really neat to be able to see the downtown area from a different angle, and the sunsets are amazing to watch from this spot.

More great info about the clock tower can be found here.
​
Buying info on the original painting can be found here.

​The Langdon-Pratt House is a building that has had a rich history in Elmira. This house is a Second Empire/Italianate Victorian Mansion believe to be built in the 1840’s. Its owners were involved in the coal and lumber industry, woolen mills, banking, and newspaper publishing. Jervis Langdon was an abolitionist in the area and later sold the house to his friend Daniel Pratt.  It had a strong role in the Underground Railroad and has been listed on National Register of Historic Places.  (If the name Jervis Langdon sounds really familiar to you, it may be because he later became Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain’s father-in-law.)

Today it is home to Community Arts of Elmira, which is an organization where I am an artist member!  They provide educational classes, workshops, seminars, events, and programs for all of the different types of arts for people of all ages.  There’s a strong emphasis on bringing the community into the arts as well as bringing the arts to the community.

For some pictures of the inside of the Langdon Mansion you can go here.

If you’re looking to add to your art collection of historic Elmira places you can find more information on buying this painting here.

A little while back on Day 21 we talked about Taughannock Falls.  Today’s painting is of the second waterfall in Taughannock State Park, Lower Falls.  Don’t tell anyone, but I think I might like the Lower Falls better.  There is just something about the way that the water cascades down the giant steps of rocks of this waterfall that is absolutely beautiful.

This particular waterfall you can just barely see from the road and it is the first along the path.  It seems kind of small in the painting and in pictures but in real life it’s pretty large.  It’s always interesting to see people waded in the water fishing in this spot.  You really get a sense of the scale when you see a fully grown human next to it.

Original painting available for purchase.

Ithaca Falls is another beautiful waterfall that you can see from the road in downtown Ithaca.  It’s a powerful waterfall that used to be used to power mills.  The ruins of the old mills can still be seen if you look real close.  The Ithaca Gun Company used to be located on the south end of the falls.

Since the day I found this waterfall, it’s been one of my favorites to visit during all different times of the year.  It’s one of the larger waterfalls in the area and it’s a short walk to get close to the falls.  There is a little bit of a hill to go down on the trail, so it might be a good one to break out the sneakers or boots for.  I have a bad habit of wearing sandals while hiking and sometimes it makes things harder than they need to be.

If you’re looking to add to your waterfall art collection you can find more info about this painting here.

I’m not sure why, but round hay bales have always been fascinating to me.  I think the way they look laying in fields is absolutely beautiful.  This painting shows a field I walked by dotted with many round bales of hay.

Original painting available for purchase.

Mark Twain Riverfront Park runs along the Chemung River in downtown Elmira.  It’s a nice spot to stop to enjoy some shade and the beautiful fountain.  I usually stop by this area during the Elmira Street Painting Festival in July.  It’s a great time to walk downtown and spend time along the river.

I’m not sure how many people know this, but sometimes the city dyes the water to make it appear different colors.  It’s pretty obvious when they add the pink for Breast Cancer Awareness but a lot of times it’s dyed a beautiful bright blue color like can be seen in the painting.

Original painting available. ​

This painting shows another scene from walking along the Chemung River during the Elmira Street Painting Festival.   The Chemung River starts in Corning, New York from the Cohocton and Tioga Rivers.  After flowing through Steuben and Chemung Counties it joins the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.

In this painting, the view is from Main Street looking towards Walnut Street.  I think this is one of my favorite views in Elmira.  I like how you can see the sky reflected back in the water, which makes every visit feel like you’re seeing the scene for the first time.

More information on the original painting here.

Do you have a favorite painting from this past week?

If you’d like to follow along in my journey and art adventures be sure to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

You can also sign up to receive updates and special goodies in your email box by clicking here!