Bangkok wonder

One of my young friends asked me to do a painting of the Bangkok Palace in the country of Thailand where he served as a missionary for the LDS church. I was a bit overwhelmed at first because of the detail, and symmetry of the buildings, statues, vases, and spires. But little by little it came along. I found that I could not spend too much time on it each painting session … any more time seemed to stifle my creative process for some unknown reason. Then I realized the problem … I was “snow blinded” by the incredible intricate visual details of each structure and so my painting effort was focused there, too. And my painting suffered because of it. As soon as I realized the problem I began to learn a valuable lesson and general process and pattern for artistic success.

What I learned was this … though the incredible detail of the buildings is what everyone focuses on, their beauty and draw were underwritten by a great composition, value structure, and contrast opportunities of the scene. These elements are the foundation of any piece of art and they had to be absolutely right, first. Then the color and detail could be added, and not the other way around. What an invaluable artistic lesson for me!

Once I understood this principle, the paint just flew off of my brushes and the painting came to life! Thanks, Daniel, for this wonderful and unique painting opportunity!

Giclee canvas prints are also available for $216 (24″ x 30″). Contact me for details …