Gloria J Zucaro's "Taking the Steps"

Today I am going to show you the first three steps I have taken in making a painting that is larger than what I usually do.  It is also partly from life with a 3-D object(still life) and a fantasy background.  It all started when the president of the Hoffman Estates Art League, Sharron Boxenbaum, suggested to the members that we all try some kind of sculpture for the October meeting.  At first we were all "What"!  We are all painters.  But I had a month to think about it and knew I didn't want to do clay.  So I got out my trusty E-6000 glue that holds together all things of a non-porous nature.  I went into my junk drawer and took out some paper clips, some washer type pieces and a couple of other things, like old Christmas tree ornament hooks and a really heavy screw/nut thing that I thought would be good for a base.  In stages I laid the pieces on top of each other and dumped the glue on areas where the most metal touched.  I came up with a sculpture that is about 3 or 4 inches high.  See below.

At the meeting, everyone showed their sculptures.  Some out of nails, wood, clay, aluminum foil, tree limbs, origami, cardboard.  Someone, Sharron, I believe, suggested I make a painting of my sculpture on a larger canvas than I usually use.  So I took her up on it!  Below is the first drawing on a 24"H x 18"W stretched canvas.

In order to get the 3 inch object up where I could see it, I turned a waste basket upside down, but still needed something taller.  I put a planter on top of the waste basket, and put a cloth over the top.  But my sculpture was so far forward that I didn't get a nice shadow behind it, which was the original idea.  Also even though it really was on the front edge of the upside down pot, it looked peculiar, so I knew I would have to change that.  Then I decided that I would put in a "fantasy" background.  I would have my little junk drawer creation be like a satellite out in space.  But then I remembered another thing you are always supposed to do...ask yourself, "What do I want to say?"  As I thought about it I realised I wanted to point out the vastness of space and the smallness of we humans and my sculpture.  Well, OOPS!  My drawing had the sculpture too large to show the vastness of space and the small sculpture.  So in the end I will do two paintings of the galaxy  This one shows the planets small and the junk drawer satellite large, next it will be reversed. See below.

This is my block in and already I can see that I need to move Saturn, as it is in the "wrong" space as far as composition.  This is my entry for this weeks Paint Party Friday.  Happy PPF and have a great weekend!  Go see what all the PPF artist have done this past week.