Wupatki Sunrise - PaintSteps

Step By Step Oil Painting

(NPS brochure photo of the ruin today as the public sees it)

"Wupatki Sunrise" December 26, 2001

This is the first line drawing I placed on my "canvas," my painting is on a masonite board 44" x 18"

Some last minute notes and observations: You'll notice in this outline that I've added the interesting and "unexplained" wing wall from the corner of the nearest room block (room 82). I've indicated the upper half of the unroofed amphitheater in the middle foreground. And I've added a luxurious foreground that includes two macaws (scarlet and military species, per notes from Downum) I've added a large storage jar in the shadows on the left. And I plan to include some indication of corn in the arroyo between this foreground ledge and the pueblo. There is evidence of a possible water seep in this area and perhaps a check dam and I am going to exercise some artistic license. Let's have fun!

December 28, 2001

Last minute adjustments: This painting is a commission. After some conversation with my client you can see that I've removed the macaws. It's not that there weren't any at Wupatki (I'll save them for a later painting), it's that there is justified concern in my client's mind that my placing them in front of the composition causes too many possible false conclusions. They take away from the pueblo architecture as the primary purpose of this illustration and they imply, as a statement, that these "sacred birds" were kept on perches away from the pueblo, perhaps even free to fly around. This is probably not the case and painting them this way invites controversy. Further, the Scarlet Macaw covered up the ball court which is a hallmark of this site. So, the simpler vista layout in the drawing above is the final layout and more what he wants.

December 30, 2001... One Moment...

I do not know exactly what will transpire on the painting surface I am about to begin. I have three objectives: 1. To provide my client with an illustration appropriate to his upcoming book on southwest pueblos, 2. To satisfy the professionals in the field of archaeology and anthropology who spend their lives in the study of these places and who have provided me with generous counsel, and 3. To do honor to the ancient people who once lived here investing years of tremendous labor and dedication for purposes we have such little reference today to understand. Happy New Year!

January 12, 2002

The first steps have taken me longer than expected. There remains much to solve. I've done some more reading, studied many many photos of other southwest ruins, done some color studies, AND worked on two underpaintings so far. I'm challenged by the lighting of a sunrise moment, vegetation that would have been different (some corn agriculture?) as well as the surface of the pueblo walls (with absolutely no visual reference).

The image below is a picture of my second underpainting so far of the whole composition. Please understand that there is so much more to do.

On my easel you can see some of my reference material to include two digital renderings
and some actual on site photos taken at sunrise. This is a dazzling possibility!!!

January 14, 2002

Here I've filled in the full canvas, of the second underpainting.
Essentially, I've now established the large blocks that represent the foreground, the middle ground and
the distance made up of a dawn sky and the far bank of Deadman Wash, not quite in sunlight yet.
I've indicated the correct location of the features identified today as the amphitheater and ball court.
This layer needs to dry a bit and then I'll begin making corrections and judgements about detail and color.

For those of you who don't paint, keep in mind that everything here so far is wrong. The sole purpose
of painting it at all is to get rid of the white background. Until the white is gone from view it's
impossible to know this is wrong. This is the process of painting, a little like sculpture. We break
off the biggest chunks first to "roughen in" the big elements. In painting this is done with approximate
and bold color, coarse shapes and big brushes. Then step by step we correct and refine.

January 22, 2002

Having a sense of where the basic shapes are now, I began to study the painting in terms of the final color palette and the lighting mood I desired. In November my wife and I drove to Wupatki at 4 AM to personally experience the sunrise and how it looked and felt. I want to capture this moment in this painting. While the above undercolor was drying I painted this color study on a separate 11" x 17" panel. I needed to experience this extreme drama before applying it to the bigger piece.

Having this experience in my memory I reworked the entire picture, per the image below. This is a particularly poor quality digital picture but it does give you an update on the major changes the painting has undergone in these early stages of development.

This amounts to undercolor, ALL too dark. I work from dark to light. I'm indicating here
where the sun rays are hitting and where things remain in night shadows.
It is DAWN at WUPATKI!

Still no details. Too soon.

January 25, 2002...

The biggest changes in this picture are the underlay of the dawn sky and the beginning modeling
of the far north bank of nearby Deadman Wash. I've also repainted Doney Mountain and foothills.

February 5, 2002...

Well, we got a bit done during the past week. (I'm still having trouble taking a good photo of this piece. Forgive me.)
There is now a dawn sky, the light is hitting the foothills and Deadman Wash and the top of the pueblo. Masonry
texture is beginning to show up on all of the walls, windows, roof beams and two second story doors are in place.
Almost time to ask the city for an occupancy permit.

February 08, 2002...

Details, details. I've updated the broken stones on the far cliff wall, started the foliage that grows in the bottom of
Deadman Wash, and blocked in the shadows of future Sand Sage and pathways in the foreground. Research
shows that the area surrounding nearly all ruins is filled with ancient pathways. I have no evidence that the
pathways I've added are in the correct position, but I feel that it is more important to indicate that they existed.
You may have noticed by now that I'm showing room number 81 unfinished, in a state of construction. It was one
of the last rooms built. Part of the exterior wall is up and three room beams are in place. I've indicated a couple new tree logs to
be used as roof beams in the unfinished section. What appears now as dark blotches will become piles of masonry stone.

February 11, 2002...

About twelve hours of painting later... this is one of the more accurate photos so far.

More details. I've reworked all of the pueblo rooftops. I've developed a near finished sunlight texture
on the tower rooms in sunlight. I've darkened the foreground dirt and foliage area and I've added a
lot of new tone and texture to the pueblo rooms still in shadow. Sagebrush in distance is coming
along pretty nice. Things are taking shape.

February 15, 2002...

Well, what can I say. Lots of modeling, planted hundreds of native plants. Many subtle refinements
this photo doesn't show. Time to paint shadows and do more landscaping.
Almost time to add the ladders and work on the foreground.

February 20, 2002...

Here's another example of inconsistent photography... however, ladders are in place and the first
development of the foreground elements has begun. I'm waiting for the area of the painting
still in darkness to dry so that I can begin painting in the shadows. You can see an example of this
in the far valley in the distance just to the right of the small 2 story room above the amphitheater.
Here I have glazed in the actual night shadow giving the feeling of an absence of light.

February 26, 2002...

Mostly shadow corrections done in this block of work. These pictures have more contrast than the actual painting.

March 14, 2002 - FINISHED!

This is the final photo of the finished painting.

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What an incredible challenge and opportunity! Thanks for watching!

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This page updated 4/16/06

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