A Grotesque Ornament

Lynne's demonstration panel recreating a detail from a large ceiling mural

ornament in progress

Here are some work in progress pictures of an ornament I used as a demonstration panel at Salon earlier this month.

This is version of a large spandrel element I designed for a huge ceiling in the Paris Casino Resort in Las Vegas. That design was inspired by the ceiling ornament in the St Francis of Assisi Church in Sacramento, which I got to study closely while working on its restoration.

 I still have my master drawings from the Paris ceiling, so I used one of the pounces to transfer part of the design onto some primed canvas.
The basic shapes are blocked in with two colors: pale green and salmon pink.

Lynne Rutter's ceiling in the Paris Casino Resort

work in progress

 

Next the foliate shapes are shaded with several colors, and accented with yellow ochre. I use a dry brush technique to do this, so that the base color still shows through a bit.
All this makes for a pretty wild palette, but it's very effective especially from some distance.

The ornament is further defined by lining it with burnt sienna.

This panel found a home in nearby Elgin. Enjoy it, Sigi!


Photos of the wonderful work exhibited at Salon at Flickr

Spandrel is in the glossary!

Lynne Rutter Studio

Erling in the Pink

Maestro Erling Wold, has today been made just a bit more famous, in this swell feature by Joshua Kosman in the San Francisco Chronicle.
You can find this in the Sunday May 18 Datebook "Pink Section"

There is also this great photo of our renown tenor John Duykers, rehearsing his role as Edvard Mordake, in a spectacular orientalist robe by Kathleen Crowley.



PS Erling's boots are actually PINK .

update! rave reviews are pouring in.
Joshua Kosman's review in the Chronicle
SF360