Vincent Thomas Bridge #16 - Part 2 - The Painting

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #16 (Tribute)"

oil on panel, 2013

18" x 24" (45.72cm x 60.96cm)

commissioned, private collection

Part 2 of 2:
This covers the challenges and decisions needed to arrive at the finish.
Challenges I faced to meet the clients and my own wants and the artistic decisions I had to make to still finish with a successful painting.
It was a balancing act

I knew at the outset the bright light blue sky was going to be an issue, and I was a little worried about that, if I was to show the green as iridescent and bright. A bright and light blue sky would compete with it yet the bridge tower was more important.
Although the client wanted a bright sunny day I had to darken the blue sky somewhat in order to get the tower to appear bright. These are the artistic decisions that must be made while still fulfilling the wants of the client.

I also knew from seeing the bridge everyday that , from this view, the sun comes from the south, or to the right in the painting, and puts the towers (their faces) in shadow for most of the day and I would need the afternoon light to showcase them.

As I said in Part 1 I was concerned that a wide panoramic view would be weak or watered down thus losing the ability to present the bridge as powerful and strong so I decided to crop in as close as possible while still leaving some air around it to breath.

Another challenge was getting some warms tones into the painting. With so much blue sky and green bridge, early on it was apparent I was going to end up with a predominantly cool toned painting which I felt would work against its personal story. Even with a warm afternoon light on the concrete bents (archways or piers) there was not much surface area to apply the warms.

Adding the marine layer catching the sun solved the warm to cool ratio problem. I now had more surface area of painting for warms tones. And since the marine layer generally hugs the ground I was able to save the blue sky.

Because of the personal story behind the painting I wanted the San Pedro tower slightly more prominent so that meant downplaying the other somehow but still have the lighting make sense.

Decisions to make predominant the San Pedro tower:

Besides the warm vs cool problem the atmospheric conditions of the marine layer helped solve two other problems or challenges: it let me soften the background and far tower (to down play it) and gave me the benefit of spacial depth or perspective.
It took some time to figure that out. I let the painting sit for a few days, contemplating so I would not ruin the third attempt. Remember, I was thinking blue sky, as the client wanted, and although many of my paintings feature the marine layer I wasn't considering any of that in this one.
I was happy with this realization since adding it served triple duty.

I then decided to 'turn down' the light on the far tower just a bit which also worked toward the goal of making the important tower more prominent. Now it glowed a little more than the other.

At this point there was a lot going on in the foreground and it was detracting from the tower and the story so I let the painting sit while I worked on other projects and kicked it around in my head.
I revisited the bridge over the next few days at different times of day to figure out what I was missing.

The bridge, the one in the painting was a little weak, it needed some weight thrown into it.

Darken the foreground and soften the foreground edges with a shadow from Palos Verdes creeping up from the bottom. That is what happens late in the day.
That epiphany made the bridge, up to the near tower, more important and gave the bridge something of substance to sit on as well as firmly anchor it to the right corner. I like the way it launches from the right corner
It also gave it that needed (visual) weight and supported the back story of the bridges' history; firmly secured in the harbor, that it IS the only of the three bridges that will remain.

I also took some artistic license by throwing a shadow under the bridge that in reality would not be there at this time of day. This made the four bents (archways or piers) visually stronger, clarified its structure, and downplayed some of the needless foreground busyness.

Other crucial but more technical factors were maintaining the correct proportions and getting the perspective right, miscalculations and it starts falling apart fast.
As in a portrait it is important to get the exact proportions of any structure and the Vincent Thomas Bridge's design is based on ratios of thirds.

My final review before calling it done I decided it still needed just a touch more life to it.
I came back in and added some traffic, just enough to bring it alive and since Caltrans maintains the bridge and the personal story is of one of them, I parked a Caltrans truck under the San Pedro tower, as one final salute, subtle and understated, not too obvious.

What I finally arrived at in the painting was the most important part of the bridge (supporting the personal story) is the most prominent. The focus is on the approach in the foreground leading up to the San Pedro tower.
Everything else; the rest of the bridge, the Long Beach tower, the lower foreground, the background are all supporting characters. None of them are painted with the same degree of finish. Each has been downplayed, softened in a vignetted manner or simplified, including the cars on the bridge.
And again, done in a subtle and understated way, not too obvious.
That was the balancing act and how I avoided the typical postcard shot.

It is a living bridge.

One thing artists do while working is turn the painting upside down, sideways and view the mirror image for both practical reasons and to check for irregularities.
The practical... the swing of your arm when drawing arcs etc and to avoid smearing wet areas while working.
But more importantly it disassociates your mind from the subject in its recognizable form, allowing you to see any drawing problems, flaws, weakness' and see the painting more abstractly, so you can assess it from an artistic and design point of view.

I noticed that turned this way its beautiful, graceful but powerful shape became even more apparent. It is simply a beautiful form in its own right.

(Oh, and by the way your welcome, now you don't have to turn your computer on its side to see what I'm talking about!)

Vincent Thomas Bridge #16 - Part 1 - The Story

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #16 (Tribute)"
oil on panel, 2013
18" x 24" (45.72cm x 60.96cm)
commissioned, private collection

Here is part 1 of 2 on a recent commission and one that proved to be very challenging.
Today the story, tomorrow the challenges.

This is the third incarnation, the first two versions were scrapped and wiped out.
Since there is a strong personal story behind this commission it was important to get everything right so I had no problem tossing the first and wiping out the second.
Sometimes you know early on when a work is not going to pan out. Better to get out early than to keep digging the same hole deeper.

This is my favorite view of the bridge, from up high on Knoll Hill, and the most revealing of its great boomerang serpentine curve.

This bridge of curves was a challenge to paint however. While most bridges are straight (yawn), any curves being a part of suspension cables and arches, the Vincent Thomas Bridge's greatest feature's are its curved roadway and its steep approaches which much rise high for ships to pass underneath then dramatically fall to meet the opposing dock. And done in a relatively short distance.

This view I painted coming up one approach shows the other side plunging at what seems like an impossible angle. This is the Vincent Thomas bridge.

First though, a little bit of history.
Opened in 1963 there was much controversy. It was originally ridiculed as a "The bridge to nowhere" but is now an integral part of the LA Harbor. Of the three large bridges in the harbor it is the only one that will remain. The Commodore Schuyler F. Heim and Gerald Desmond Bridge are currently being replaced.
That only adds to its stature. It was born out of adversity and is the only survivor. It took 19 years and 16 pieces of legislation to get it built, all championed by then San Pedro Assemblyman Vincent Thomas, for whom the bridge is appropriately named after.

The painting:
It is a tribute to a former bridge painter whose ashes were mixed into the paint used to paint the near tower, the San Pedro tower as the bridge painters call it. In fact bridge painters have a strong personal connection to 'their bridge', their identity is very much wrapped up in it.
You can see how weighty the subtext of the painting was already getting and I hadn't even started yet!

I needed to somehow represent its history and its very personal story, all by means of paint on a surface.
This did help guide me in several decisions even while contemplating the painting long before breaking out the brushes.

The clients wanted:
The classic view showing the entire bridge.
Shown from the San Pedro side of the channel so the San Pedro tower was most prominent due to its personal story.
A sunny day with blue sky.
And the signature iridescent green paint of the bridge.
OK, sounds easy enough ...

I wanted:

Everything... yep... everything.

That means all that IS my work plus all of the above history and story.
Not as easy.

I was happy enough to paint this view, even knowing ahead of time that very often panoramic shots of iconic structures lose their power as you pull back. I would have to find a way to instill in the painting all of the above without ending up with a typical postcard type image, one that is watered down or not very interesting to look at, doesn't say much and doesn't have that extra quality it would need to make the bridge alive. Most people who strongly identify with a structure think of it as a living entity.

I too wanted the San Pedro tower to be slightly more prominent to suit the personal story behind this commission but not just by virtue of its view. I would need to figure additional ways to do this but done in a subtle manner. It is easy to overdo a concept like that and before you know it you have a cheesy, corny, overwrought painting (a postcard image).

Both a sunny day and a bright tower. This worried me from the beginning since, as an artist, I knew I was working with two competing elements.

I always have some idea of the direction an artwork is going to go, at least enough to begin, but this one had some stumbling blocks right from the start, hence the first two failed attempts.

The layout (view) wasn't the problem. It was putting paint to surface, but not from a technical point of view, I can do that.
It was the way I began (the first two). I work in layers similar to a watercolor approach and sometimes the first few layers are crucial to its success. You begin wrong and you'll never arrive at the finish.

It's like going left when you should have gone right.248

Vincent Thomas Bridge #3

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #3"    SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
7" x 5" (17.78cm x 12.7cm)

Here is an early painting from my Vincent Thomas Bridge series that I never posted.
It is an unusual view that is not immediately recognizable as a bridge but that for me is part of its appeal.

Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride. Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of pride.

This view from the catwalk underneath the roadway shows the scaffolding being erected around the tower base. Painting the bridge is a job that's never finished. It’s a 6 month process to wrap the tower from the ground up in scaffolding and then plastic sheeting to contain the work. Then the painting can begin.230

A Gasp of Air

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #9 (Channel)"

oil on panel, 2011
9” x 6” (22.86cm x 15.24cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE


Bridge Series:
Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride. Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals are a source of identity.

This view of the bridge from below and outside the roadway is breathtaking. With nothing to visually hold you up its like a huge gasp of air. Showing very little of the bridge itself, with the focus on the channel it emphasizes the drama, height and span of the bridge.

I should point out this is one of those paintings I had great difficulty photographing. Even doing some editing/color correcting I could not get it right, specifically the dock. The original looks far better.167

Click on image for larger view

Vincent Thomas Bridge #12

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #12"
oil on panel, 2011
8" x 6" (20.32cm x 15.24cm)

Bridge Series:
Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride. Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of identity.

Views looking up like this are described as a worms eye view. Not immediately recognizable as the bridge tower but still a dramatic composition. Visible are the two 'X' braces at top left.

The point of view here is just below and outside the roadway, essentially like hanging off the side of the bridge. On the other side of the chain link fence at left is where the traffic is whizzing by.
This is the bridge tower being wrapped in scaffolding, which will reach to the top, in preparation for painting. The scaffolding will then be wrapped in plastic to contain the work.165

Here is another view that shows the tower completely wrapped.
Click 'Vincent Thomas Bridge' Label below or at right to see more from this series.

Click on image for larger view

Vincent Thomas Bridge #11-Containment 2

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #11 (Containment 2)"

oil on panel, 2011
8” x 6” (20.32cm x 15.24cm)

This painting overlaps two series
Bridge Series:
Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride. Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of identity.
Containment Series:
A series on modern construction techniques. Today everything gets wrapped in heavy plastic or tarps to contain the work, a sort of cocoon, keeping dust from contaminating the surrounding environment.
Twenty or thirty years ago it was not done and open construction was more prevalent. Modern green thinking has changed our approach to not only recycling but how we do everything.

This view is of the outer perimeter of the containment area standing against the plastic sheet wall, looking at the bottom of the roadway.

My other painting,  "Vincent Thomas Bridge #8 (Containment 1)", is nearer the center so it shows the darker core of the containment area, with the light filtering in from both sides. This one, at the outer confines, is higher key in value , so it's brighter, and has more pops of color in the purple rope, touches of yellow and the warm toned concrete.

The red in both is the primer used before the iridescent green finish.
It is obvious from the red floor how much over spray would be lost into the environment if the work was not contained. I'm sure it serves the dual purpose of making the work easier and the work area more comfortable by defecting winds.161

See another similar view without containment here.

*Update
Thanks to a comment from a follower it occurred to me that this view mat not be obvious or understood. Having been there I did not even think about it. I can see the point. Here is a better explanation from my response comment: This painting shows the area inside the containment, think of it as a butterfly cocoon hanging off a tree branch, and is literally hanging off the bottom of the bridge, underneath the road way. Set up to paint the bridge as part of its maintenance.

Click on image for larger view

'S' Curve and 'I' beam

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #15"    SOLD
watercolor on paper, 2011
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)

When deciding on a painting I hardly ever settle on something randomly. Instead I thoughtfully consider each one beyond doing a mere depiction of the subject. Sometimes that is OK but I prefer to be challenged in some way. I would rather have to tackle some sort of problem, figure out what and how to say something, or choose a view that is unique to the subject. Now all the elements of image making can be used as tools to that end.

One of the best and most unique features of the Vincent Thomas Bridge is its signature 'S' curve (actually a reverse 'S') formed by the two approaches of the San Pedro and Long Beach sides.
This view from the Long Beach side of the channel looking west really exploits that 'S' curve from an unusual perspective.
The covered near tower, referred to by the bridge workers as the Long Beach tower, is seen through the supporting columns of its approach.

The sun behind one of the columns casts a dramatic shadow and adds a visual support to the top heavy composition.
I certainly could have chosen a different time of day and still had a good image, still shown off the 'S' but by selecting this late afternoon view I got a little bit more out of it. A composition that echos the construction of a bridge by creating an 'I' beam shape similar to its supporting beams without being too literal.
The shadows and light patterns also echo both the arch design of the bridge and sweeping curve of the approach above. I ended up with the image loosely constructed of the same elements that make a bridge.
That for me is the fun of creating.158

The overlay is a bit clumsy but still gets the point across.

Click on image for larger view
Click 'Vincent Thomas Bridge' Label below to see more from this series.

Vincent Thomas Bridge #5 - Color study

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #5 - Color Study"
oil on panel, 2011
9" x 6" (22.86cm x 15.24cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

Here is another version, in oil, of the watercolor / gouache study from an earlier post.

On this one I experimented with a different color and value scheme to cut back the amount of lime green that shows in full sunlight. Throwing a soft shadow across part of the bridge allowed for multiple greens, from the lime green it shows in bright light to its signature chrome green and into a deep bluer green. The roadway a chocolate brown, the foreground structure a warm olive green.
Doing that also changes the design of the value distibution. With the towers in light and shadow a stronger more dramatic composition is achieved.134

Problem Solving- "Vincent Thomas Bridge #4"

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #4 - Catalina Express"    SOLD
watercolor on illustration board, 2011
11.75" x 8" (29.845cm x 20.32cm)


Here is a fairly common view of bridges. But a good one because there is a great sense of height when seen from the ground from underneath.

This is the finished painting of one I posted (here) back in March as a work in progress. One intended for my October Show.
It was one of those that at the beginning I had a clear vision of what I was going to do and how it would look. A quick painting, in a method I had done many times. I like those, they are fun and satisfying.

Then about halfway through I realized (OH NO!) it isn't working... it was just sort of dying right in front of me. So much for fun and satisfaction. This one is going to battle me. Should I panic? No... not really my style.

Problem solve, no problem. Think fundamentals, that is where most trouble lies. It's not the flooring, the curtains, the sofa etc., no, no, no... its the foundation, the framing or the roof. No point moving forward till I figure it out or I'm in for some wasted time.
Most of the time I know what to do... that is to 'let it go' and keep painting, keep forging ahead. Not this time, I sat back and stared at it and for the life of me I had no idea where it was failing. Ok, it's only half way done I thought soooo... start checking... the drawing or perspective of it really isn't off, maybe a little, but thats not it, those kinds of minor corrections take place as I refine the painting, working to the end.

It's too premature to really judge the color, or more specific... color relationships. If everything else is working; design, values etc, then color is usually secondary.
The point of view? nooo... god forbid otherwise the whole thing gets scrapped. Bad choices you can't fix.

The composition? ... uh... maybe... shoot, that would mean significant changes.
Forget texture or detail or surface... technique, these are usually more superficial, usually not the make or break of an image, more along the line of the refinements/corrections, at least the way I work.

I don't always know where things went wrong, right away, but I know WHAT TO DO.
That is to STOP looking at it. Put it away, turn it around, don't think about it, work on something else. Come back later for a fresh look.

So thats what I did. I came back to it, (more than once I might add), with a fresh eye...then it hit me! like a ton of bricks! It's lifeless! Stupid thing! Duh! I remember thinking  " ...it's dying right in front of me" the opposite of life, how did I miss the connection?
OK! Now what? Give it some life.

Sometimes, fundamentals or not, if I have an image that starts slipping away it unconsciously affects my enthusiasm and I start to lose interest which shows in the painting. The sooner I identify that the better. Then surprisingly few changes need to made.

• Start by introducing the warmer tones in the sky, it's far too cold in color temperature. 
• Too much residual green from my initial lay in, the early washes, substitute blues in place of greens.
• Break up the silhouette and soften edges. I was going for a strong graphic pattern from the start but now that I see it, it's too rigid, even for a bridge.
• Extend the foreground a bit, it's too slight to visually support the bridge

Whew! It wasn't that far off... looks like I won... HA, HA, HA,   it did not defeat me this time.133

Click on image for larger view

Vincent Thomas Bridge #8 Containment 1

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #8 (Containment 1)"
oil on panel, 2011
5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride.Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of identity.

This painting also overlaps into my containment series, a series on modern construction techniques. These days everything gets wrapped in heavy plastic or tarps to contain the work, a sort of cocoon, keeping dust from contaminating the environment.

Twenty or thirty years ago it was not done and open construction was more prevalent. Modern green thinking has changed our approach to not only recycling but how we do  everything. This painting shows the painting of the underside in progress.

A broad view of the containment area shows all of the working tools and materials needed to paint the bridge.

A platform is hung underneath then everything is wrapped in plastic; wall, floors & suspension hooks. Nothing allowed to escape into the environment.133

*Update:
See the "Vincent Thomas Bridge #11 (Containment #2)" here.

Click on image for larger view

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #13"

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #13"    SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
7" x 5" (17.78cm x 12.7cm)

Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride.
Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of identity.

A bright day and back lit, a close-up of one of the towers partially unwrapped, the painting recently completed. A small pulley is used to haul up tools and materials from a platform below that extends out from under the bridge roadway.132

Click on image for larger view

Vincent Thomas Bridge and Containment

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #6 - Gold"   SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
16" x 20" (40.64cm x 50.8cm)

One more for the show tonight...

Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride.
Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of identity.

This painting is from my Vincent Thomas Bridge series as well as overlapping into my containment series, a modern construction method of covering structures entirely while building and maintaining them.

Presenting the bridge in various lighting conditions allows me to show it without having to always use its signature chrome green color.

Late on a hazy day and with the east tower covered, no green at all is present but the bridge is still recognizable by the architecture of the west tower.130

Click on image for larger view

Oh No!... Chrome Green

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #5 - Study"
watercolor/gouache on wc paper, 2011
9" x 6" (22.86cm x 15.24cm)

A study for my Vincent Thomas Bridge series and included in the upcoming show. See previous post.

A few months back I began to ponder this series, especially regarding the show, and how it would present itself.
The challenge I found myself faced with was the color of the bridge itself. If I wasn't careful I would end up with a bunch 'chrome green' paintings... and green is a tough color, too much and your'e sunk. My Dad used to say "There is no such thing as a bad color... only a bad application of it."

Who would buy paintings with lots of green? Kermit the Frog. Shrek. The Incredible Hulk. They're not real so that leaves... Ed Begley Jr.?

The green of the bridge itself is spectacular in real life, the iridescent light reflecting paint, shimmering even on overcast days. But the moment it becomes a painting it's a different set of problems. Artistic decisions must be made. You can't merely copy real life.

I decided I had better use atmospheric conditions and time of day, light and shadow to control the green of the bridge within the paintings. This allowed me to modify the palette. Darken it by throwing it in shadow, lighten it with bright sunlight, increase the saturation, decrease the saturation or step on it (as Stapleton advises), use very little of it by featuring more of the surroundings, or eliminate the green altogether. All of which I've done in various paintings for the show.

This study shows the bridge in the afternoon under full sunlight, giving it more of a lime color. Lime green could easily overwhelm too, but used sparingly (as Dad would do) it pops, its bold, like it or not it's unexpected.
For a study I was free to throw down color. Here I put the more saturated color in the top half of the composition, the blue sky and the bridge, while the lower portion is deeper and richer in color and tone, chocolate brown and forest green, which helps anchor and keep the saturated colors under control.
To better integrate the bridge into its environment I allowed the warmer tones to spill into the background.127


Click on image for larger view

Vincent Thomas Bridge at 6 x 6

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #2"   SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
6" x 6" (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

Here is a second painting that will be in the 6" squared exhibition and sale at the Randy Higbee gallery April 16th. For more info see my previous post below.

From my Vincent Thomas Bridge series.

Here’s a view of the bridge from below the roadway looking west toward the towers, the far tower barely visible behind the scaffolding being erected on the near one. It takes about six months just to wrap a tower for painting, first in scaffolding from the ground up, then wrapped in a white tarp to contain the work. The maintenance of the bridge is a constant job, never finished. This series will show not only the grandeur of the bridge itself but also serve as a tribute to those who maintain and keep it beautiful.110

Click on image for larger view

Stately Presence

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #1"   SOLD
oil on panel, 2010
6" x 6" (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

Here is one of my paintings that will be included in the 6" Squared Show at the Randy Higbee Gallery Saturday on December 4th - 23rd. See previous post for show info.

This is a great view of the bridge, it's approach gracefully climbing from the right then plummeting sharply over the other side, dropping into fog.

A Sunday, very little traffic, bright sunlight hitting the towers, a neutral grey sky. A more restrained palette with the darkest tones in the bridge, giving it a formal, stately presence.87

Click on image for larger view