Friday, April 29, 2016

"PARKING IN REAR"

As you head west on Hwy 290 out of Johnson City towards Fredericksburg you pass through several small communities, one of which is Hye, Texas. The Hye Market was established in 1886 and is a historical landmark in Texas. 



For many years I drove by this building in my rush to get to Fredericksburg, but today is different. I find a shady spot and break out the paint.



I chose this side view because I only have an hour to spare and there's not much room on this busy highway to paint it from across the street, so I'm sticking with a simpler design with plans to paint it from the front when back in the studio.

First step is to establish the darks and fill in the big shapes with flat color (see above). Next is to establish key relationships by using color, values and edges.



Done for now. There's an abundant amount of signage and I don't do lettering too well en plein air so this is one I'll put away until it drys then come back and add lettering to the signs.

This is a really cool building with a lot of history. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson swore in Lawrence O'Brien as Postmaster General on the front porch. These days its a great place to stop in and buy produce, wine and groceries all from Texas growers.