Painting Progression-Between Nations-Step 1

This painting will be another departure from what I have demonstrated previously.  The painting was a recent commission that I was pleased to receive, since it fell right into the type of picture that I had already been planning to paint next.  Many of my paintings feature the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, between Ontario, Canada and upper New York State in the USA.  When I was a boy, Bald Eagles nested and fished near my home on the St. Lawrence River.  When the pesticide, DDT became heavily used in the 1950's and 60's, this population of eagles was wiped out, along with many other species in that locale.  In recent years, the Bald Eagle has made a come back to the river and the population is slowly increasing.  Once again eagles can be seen soaring over and fishing the wide waters of the Thousand Islands.

At this point, there is little to see, but I have begun priming my canvas with acrylic paint.  I use a flat, bristle brush to apply a tone to the canvas.  The colour I choose will affect the finished piece, acting as a ground for the colours that follow.  I often use a warm earth tone mixture of burnt sienna and red.  The other colour that I most often use is a blue-gray for a cooler ground.  Here I have started with the warm, earth coloured mixture, which I have combined with gesso to fill the weave of the canvas.  I cover the entire surface evenly and allow it to dry.