Have an idea you want to explore? Contact me. What follows is a brief description of just such a project. 

Below is an example of the creative process in action. I am flexible, I like to discuss ideas, bat ideas around, consider new possibilities, explore new challenges. Call me if this essential message resonates in you-- and you'd like to discuss something. 

> What is the idea? Most important. You must have a good idea. Or, you must be willing to investigate a particular idea to find out if it might be good...or not. In this case, a client came to me and said, "We'd like to consider a skyline painting of Providence." This was about as specific as it got. We met, we discussed this idea, we agreed to think about it, to do some tests, to push it along in stages. I submitted a proposal and grounded the project in reality pending the results of early thinking and tests. The proposal was tentatively approved. 

Concept sketch, one of several we discussed at the outset. Here you see the proposed skyline of Providence. 

> Photo essay: We decided to take a closer look at the city skyline using photography, examine how the layout might appear in totality...years ago, the skyline was readily apparent from this vantage in the park overlooking the city, but here and now, trees have grown up to make seeing the entire skyline difficult. So I walked from one location to another, taking pictures as I moved, eventually piecing one photo to another until I created a unique, comprehensive view of the city skyline. This was another most interesting aspect of the exercise. 

I took a variety of shots from high up in Prospect Park and patched them together to get a sense of a composite view of the skyline, client could see an idea coming into being

> Study buildings in space to be sure I understood the skyline...and how to make the buildings identifiable, distinct to this skyline and not any skyline...this step required a couple of trips to the city. I parked the car, camera in hand, and took photos of individual buildings that were key to the skyline composition. Then I began to draw the buildings to be sure I had a feel for the real building apart from the photo references. This is a key exercise. 

Here, I had a lot of homework puzzling out the actual skyline as I would chose to depict it, studying the buildings in space to understand the basic ingredients that would have to come together...

> Warm-up: Simple painting studies of aspects of the Providence skyline...in the spirit of brainstorming, Through this relatively early stage,I provided a number of such studies demonstrating the efficacy of the idea, composition, color, style, just to help the client and me...get a flavor for how the final work might unfold. The client was gratified at these tests. 

Series of small painting exercise to take a look at what is possible, client liked what I was able to show. I presented perhaps half a dozen or more of such painting exercises. 

> Paint it! After a series of more painted studies, we got into the final painting of the skyline at full scale, 8' x 4', a giant leap in faith for the client...At this point, all the theory and prior discussion means very little, it is all in good faith, all hypothetical, all in a sense, vapor. What matters now is how the actual painting takes place. I set up a video camera and took images every minute or so for weeks as this painting came to life. Several times during the actual painting stage, my client came out to the site to see the progress, comment on its coming along. Each time...he and I were excited about what was unfolding. 

Two views, one of my facing the canvas, under way, having gained the confidence of the client in the idea, but still needing to actually see what would come to life, a very exciting moment. 

> After several check-in and approval meetings, the final oil-on-canvas comes to life...is approved enthusiastically, and installed, a gratifying moment for all. We lined up a custom wood-worker well known for his craftsmanship and off my final painting went to be fitted and framed. This process took some additional time. A week or two later, the painting was hung on a wall upon which we had worked together to determine how well the final dimensions would fit in the space, and where exactly the painting would be hung.

Installed in the main lobby of a distinguished Providence business entity...hardwood frame added to 8' x 4' canvas...

> Artist and work, a gratifying experience, the work is carefully hung in a most prominent place-- Here I stand before the final work, clearly a skyline view from up high looking down on the city, not "photo-realistic," at all, but uniquely and truly "Providence, A New Skyline." 

SOLD!  With thanks to my client and those whose efforts made this assignment successful. Thank you. 

Here is a summary video, a more comprehensive overview of the creative process.