Monumental Change

 When the protests erupted last year, it was Lynanne who told me that I should go paint the monument to capture the events unfold. She's the sole reason this painting was completed. Shortly after posting the image and putting it in an art show, it sold. Galleries rarely let you know who the buyer is, and this time was no different. Of all the paintings that I've sold, this one was one that I wanted to know who bought it. Unfortunately, that wouldn't happen.

Shortly after we moved to Rosewood in September 2020, I was walking the neighborhood to introduce myself. I gave out cards and let people know I was an artist. When I approached one of my neighbors, he looked at my card and said, "John Price...I think I have one of your pieces." I was curious so he invited me in. 

Just 2 blocks from my house lived this guy, Sean Pierce and he was the owner of Monumental Change. The painting was on my block, and the owner is one of the coolest, friendliest people you can meet. I'm thankful it's in the hands of someone who will appreciate it, and that it lives in a good home!

CNU Painting for Lynanne

This is An oil painting I did for Lynanne Jamison our first Christmas together. She graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2006 and I wanted to replicate what the University looked like when she attended. Some of these buildings have since been demolished to make room for the newer Jeffersonian architecture on the campus. I had to contact the archives department to get my hands on some of the older photos from 2002-2006 and I'm grateful they understood my vision.

She would go to Noland Trail at Mariner's Lake near the Lion's Bridge and study on a fallen tree. The tree is still there and I took a piece of bark from it and adhered it to the painting.

The buildings shown are the Ferguson Center for the Arts, James River Hall, York River Hall, the old administration building and the geese fountain with Gosnold Hall in the background.

Lynanne has a heart of gold, and I'm forever grateful she's in my life. She's helped me understand what my purpose is, and is the focus behind everything I do. I've never met anyone like her. Ever. She drives me to better myself, to focus, and to push my art in ways I never imagined. Plus, she likes to travel, so there's that. This painting was an absolute labor of love and keeping it from her until Christmas Day was an undertaking in and of itself.

Some behind the scenes photos

Here is a little bit of the behind the scenes at John Price Art. My daughter, Alicia, helps out a lot both in the studio and at the markets. I pay her $10 an hour to keep a small inventory, stuff prints into backboards, restock art at any art market, and sometimes, just talk to me while I'm painting. Here we are in the studio, just a few days before moving into a new place. This was a particularly rough patch, as Lynanne was facing two great losses in her life, and we were juggling buying a house, running a business, and going back and forth to Callaway.   

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Art Prints

 Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

Prints Available at my etsy store

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1100171143/richmond-on-a-clear-blue-day-fine-art

5x7 - $15

8x10 - $20

11x14 - $25

16x20 - $40

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

 Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

Oil

30x40

$5,000 Unframed

$6,500 Framed

This view is from the Potterfield Bridge with the new Dominion Building in the background. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

 Now comes the detailing of the trees, bridges and all those damn ripples in the James River.

Richmond on a Clear Blue Day - Work In Progress

 Most of the buildings are complete at this time. The Riverfront Plaza windows will be put on, as well as the Harris Williams building. After that, the CSX Bridge, trees, 9th Street Bridge, and then the James River. 

Richmond on a Clear Blue Day - Work In Progress

 Adding more details on the windows and buildings. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - more buildings

 At this point, I've completed most, if not all of the background buildings. That large grey blob to the left is the Federal Reserve Building. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Initial Detailing

 When I begin to detail almost any painting, I start with the areas furthest from me and move forward. The reason is because the further an image is from us the less detail it appears to have. Knowing how much detail is in a building, tree, or other object that is behind other objects, helps me keep in mind how much detail to put in objects closest to me. 

You start with minimal detail, take a step back, see how it looks from a distance, and then continue moving forward. In this photo, I've painted in the detail in most of the furthest buildings, and am now beginning the shading, windows, and overall structures of the foreground buildings. It's tedious work (the part that I hate) and I found that if I take the color I'm working with and put it on a palette knife, I can pull paint from the knife, instead of constantly putting my brush into the palette. I hate having to look at the canvas for a second, then down at the palette and then back at the canvas to allow my eyes to refocus for a few seconds. With the paint on the palette knife, I don't have to take my eyes of the canvas for an extended period of time. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Blocking In Phase

 This is the blocking in phase. This is where I block in the basic color of everything. I it has multiple colors that are noticeable, I'll block in the dominant color. The paint is still thin at this point, but probably took a solid 5-7 days to dry to where I could add more color in. I will generally use a large brush, but will switch back and forth to medium and small brushes to his the tighter areas.

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Outline

 So how long does it really take to create an oil painting? Well, it all depends on size, quality of paint, drying time, even the humidity in the air. The bottom layers are generally the thinnest. Here is the city of Richmond from the Potterfield Bridge that stretches from the city, over the James River. This painting was started back in late April/early May. This is the outline, which took about a day or so to dry.