Break out the Golden Spike

For those unaware of the obscure reference, the Golden Spike was the last one driven on the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah that connected the nation by rail. I should hit that proverbial point in my painting by Friday (yee-haw!) with the bodies of Golden Frinks and Charlotte Brown. Next week I will fill in the faces and Phase 1 of this beast will be completed! I'll have to figure out a way to celebrate - maybe take the day off and sleep.

After that - it starts all over again. With all of the color filled in, I will have to go back and readjust shadows and highlights to increase contrast where necessary, then on to the counter top and the food which will take me into the month of May. By May 15th the background will make itself known. I've taken some shots and am in the process of using Photoshop to figure out just what images will be placed in the background panels. The painting is separated into 8 - 6' panels. Each panel is actually a window segment of my fictional diner and will give an exterior view of the world that existed during the lifetimes of the individuals.

Some of the scenes will no doubt cause some discomfort, but they are necessary to showcase the many trials and tribulations that motivated and shaped the lives of the participants. Visions of joyous remembrance must be tempered by and reflected upon through the prism of painful and sobering truth. These people were deemed extraordinary - even by today's standards - and the background is meant to illustrate to the viewer what they have had to endure on their march toward immortality. For many, that journey was a literal one, and as the artist I would do a great disservice to their collective memory and our perception of them were I to allow political correctness to diminish their accomplishments by refusing to place their contributions in context. Lest anyone forget, it was such attitudes in the past that made this present painting necessary.