Big Ink – Big Deer

 We’ve been getting around. Bishop last week, this week it’s finishing up some art for Mt. Diablo State Park in California. This is one of eight for a wall collage for the historic WPA visitor center high atop the mountain. I did a bunch of art here over a decade ago, which is now completely worn out, so here I go again. Thanks, Karen, for believing I should continue (and even expand on) this legacy for another couple of decades. Last time around, I did the ink sketches, then hand-painted the outside illustrations using airplane model paint. It lasted better than a decade, and if it weren’t for the ADA requirements forcing new exhibits, I think they’d have lasted another few years. This time it’s a bit more modern in its presentation and technology.

As I said, this deer image is one of a group, and it’s not a small painting either – 24″ square. Ink and watercolor at large size takes some time to create. There are about a million lines here, and it’s not for the faint at heart to create, that’s for sure. One slip and it’s in the trash! But if I’ve learned one thing in 40+ years of doing this stuff it’s that good craftsmanship takes time. Lots of time. And today there seems to be a real lack of understanding this. Everyone seems to love reaching the finish line, but no one like getting to it.

Well, I like getting there more than finishing. I like the process.

Thanks for reading about my stuff this week.
Larry Eifert

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