Here’s some progress on a money toad painting that I’ve been cookin’ up.

This piece started as a painting from life that I was doing of this cool little money toad figurine I got years ago while in Asia.  Once I got the dead-layer started it felt too empty.  I didn’t want to cut the board down after it had already been gesso’d and painted on.  I didn’t want to paint the background all dark like an old masters painting, so one night I just started paint sketching in a background.  Lot’s of chinese inspired clouds and some stylized money sybols that will be casting light rays from behind them…

This painting is obviously still in it’s infantcy.  I’ve prepared the board, sketched in the toad, painted in my umber layers and dead layers and now I’m playing around with my color blocking before I start rendering it.  I promise you the reds arn’t as pronounced as they are in this shitty iPhone photo.

16x20 Oil on Hard Board

Malachi
www.liquidwerx.com