California Tonalists: Dealing with a Large Canvas

As I have studied the Tonalists more and more, I realize that much of the mood that they create comes from the successive applications of layers of semi-transparent paint. I could not approach the mood of the Tonalist because I was only working in two or three layers. Something that I have not tried and may give me just the effect that I am looking for is encaustic. A neighbor lent me a book and I have been studying the technique. I will start small, not on a giant canvas as I did here.

The first photo is the underpainting- a totally unsuccessful attempt at Tonalism. The second is where the painting is now and how I exhibited it at Art At the Source. Some who came to the show liked it. If you like it, as it is here, you should buy it quickly before I change it. I am about to create a center piece. I am feeling that there is too much simple grey space in the middle. So picture a scenic rectangle in the middle.

Also if you would like to see the Mexican painting on the back, I will take a photo of that and post it on my next blog. I will now post the final painting first, the first attempt, second.