Le Scale e La Cantina - I (final)

9”x12” Smooth Bristol Board,
Pari, Grosseto Italia

This is the final version of Le Scale e La Cantina, taken after I laid the watercolor upon the ink framework. Each of these colors was hand-mixed from the three primaries: cyan, magenta, and yellow. There is also a light wash of ivory black across the tiles that make up the roadway. I prefer the ivory black since it traditionally has hints of brown.

Brown is made up of different ratios of the three primary colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow within the color system that I use, so it tends to work well as both a grey and a darkening agent for the colors that I mix. All in all, I was pleased with how this piece turned out. Even though the colors didn't come out exactly the way that I wished, I was happy with the volumetric and surface-based approach to perspective.

Truth be told, there was no way that I could have even begun this piece using my old methodology of "laying out lines". Everything would have been too rigid and mechanical — destroying the organic feel of the little village that is my heartfelt home.

Yours in inspiration,
Michael Weaver