San Gabriel Bowl
This bowling alley in and on San Gabriel I've seen for years but never painted. It may or may not still be there It's closed and looks like a wrecking ball candidate, (like most my subjects.) An odd format for me, mostly painted about 6/ 8 months ago. 22x48 certainly one pf my tallest...
I put it aside as I was unsatisfied with it. I recently re-worked it and like it now. Re- did the sky and added a few details like the girl and some textures.
posted by william wray at 11:51 PM
31 Comments:
That subdued color works really well, makes the whole scene look like its been baking in the sun for too many years.
This is impressive. You're getting into some really brainy compositional stuff here. The whole painting could almost read as a flat, abstract design except that the car and the lines leading to it shoot you way back into space-I love that contrast between flat design and depth. What is the white rectangle in the lower right corner-is it a crosswalk? It seems to balance the "bowl" sign-good move to put it in there. And-I love the way the top of the building is only defined by a red line! Brilliant. *24x48 is a weird size, isn't it? You have to have just the right picture to make it work.
Thanks Jessie,
kind of like my brain.
I'm trying to post a larger view of it you might look again.
Hey Bill -
I know I know long time no hear. But I have been a long time viewer and now first time poster to your blog. I just thought I'd let you know I really enjoy the thoughts and images on here. When you get some time have a look at my blog as well, www.studioflint.blogspot.com. I started it because it is so much more versatile to maintain than my website. If you don't recall I am the guy from oregon at Jove Wang's workshop, oh about a year or so ago, maybe longer. Anyways, I'll keep looking. The moody urban scenes really strike me so thank you.
Best,
Josh
Superb color choices! Me likey!
Sure I remember you Josh, looks like your doing a lot of experimenting with style, me to. Welcome to the blog, it will soon make websites obsolete. Glad some good painters are coming on board, it used to just be cartoonists in Blogland.
Hey Leslie, that's just the cement that is sometimes extended around drains so the area will hold up longer. Asphalt doesn't last as long under a constant water flow. Asphalt is actually kind of a scam these days, they could make it last longer now, but the business resists it because they want the wear out factor, it means more work.
As far as the odd size, I wanted to try something different, sometimes odd shapes feel pretentious to me, (I still don't get triptychs that don't tell a story like they were originally invented for,) But who knows? A lot of my old notions that creatively limited me are being stripped away.
thanks Dan, me thank yee.
It is certainly an unusual format. I like this due to the depth and your use of pale colors. By the way, enjoyed reading the article about you on Lines & Colors. Charlie did a good job explaining your work... simple without alot of technical jargon.
I remember how it looked early on with all the orange, this finish is a real contrast. I really like what you did with the palette.
this one absolutely rocks, Bill...!!!! fantastic...
It looks like you got subtle purples and oranges in it. I like it.
I really like this composition. So nicely balanced and yet very dynamic.
I like how the triangle of the sign is echoed throughout the composition.
I like the format and composition of this piece. I also really enjoy the atmospheric sky; to me it's almost like something is about to happen...what? I dont know, but it's an ominous sky to my eyes, in an exciting way, if that makes any sense.
This seems to contain more white than most of your work. It reminds me somewhat of the Mexican street scene you posted a few weeks back.
Do you ever cut down a painting to a smaller size after it's finished, because you like part of it but not the rest?
Bill, thanks again for generously sharing your work and your time with us.
Thanks June, yeah it was nice of him and I didn’t take umbrage with his comments. ;-) I’m learning not to debate every little thing and be happy people bother.
thanks T. yeah I felt the drama was forced with that sky. Took me a bit to figure it out because I liked it, but it didn't fit, it overpowed it. It had to chages elements when they don't work in the whole if you like them alone, but it must be done.
Thanks you Larry, you rock!
thanks BG you rock too!
thanks Kris, I'll be up in your neighborhood next week for the SLO paint out, maybe out paths will cross.
i really like your latest posts Bill, i think you're on to something with the "abstraction"
Hey RC,
I wish I could say it was my intention, but I didn't see the triangle repeats until you mentioned it. I hope that it's a sign that I have this stuff work out so inherently that my unconscious (yet educated) mind did it on purpose. ;-)
AJ,
The sky was darkened and made more neutral to focus the light on the sign and center/ foreground of the painting, I'm lucky that accidental (storm is coming) effect helped with the mood. I was going for that patch of light on a cloudy day thing.
every one of these paintings has 100,000,000º more white heat in person - thanks WW
live long and prosper genius
Pretty cool ! :) It's always interesting when we tuck things, in this case a painting away, bring it out later and re work.I like the vertical perspective. It's almost as if one is standing at a doorway and looking through to the outside.
glam,
I haven't cut one down yet , I just trash the whole thing with the belt sander. thanks you for coming by as often as you do. I always am impressed with you astute observations. I used more white in this one to give it a sunbleached look.
thanks Rob i don't think thois one goes there, but the next one does a bit.
thanks, Miles for the sale, please give it a nice coat of damar varnish in a few weeks.
Sheri, It's really rare I do it, but I had so much work into it I found the insperation some how...
Love this...
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