Virtual Paintout 11: Vevie Goes to Peru!

For October Vevie and the Virtual Paintout  gang took off for ... Lima, Peru. Hola!!

First, I visited (via Google Street View) a tourist attraction: Park of the Legends. Beautifully manicured, lovely gardens, trees, flowers, water sculptures. Playgrounds and zoo animals for the kids, and a mini Machu Peechu.  Felt too... touristy.

Second, I visited the downtown city. Huge buildings, streets teeming with cars and people, colorful businesses. Felt too... impersonal.

Third, I traveled to the outskirts, scouting for rural beauty. I almost cried at the poverty. Crumbling husks of homes, barefoot kids, shacks stacked up the mountainsides... where people LIVED. Felt too... heart-breaking.

Lastly, by chance, I traveled up an extremely steep mountain road. Along the way, I passed all three types: touristy spots, businesses, and obvious poverty. Yet this road led them all to the same place: the huge stone cross statue called Cruz del Cerro San Cristobal, a famous landmark in Peru. 

This last location made me smile. We are all the same in our Hearts. We all need hope, love, and meaning in our lives . And to help each other get on up that road. Cuz sometimes it gets steep!

And that's why I was originally going to call this painting "Uphill".

It was a joy to paint this from my heart, and not worry about being judged, or about performing. See... this is a Landscape. A Landscape doesn't "usually" have graphic design added! But after seeing this beautiful country and pictures of their culture and art, I wanted to include design work to represent these creative people. Here then is "Uphill, Peruvian Style."

My Google street view scene (can click on any pics to enlarge):

And the "making of" pics...

I played with color 

schemes in Photoshop:

Sketched in with sepia pencil:

 I enjoy the look of the wrap around image:

 For the values I used yellow ochre

and red oxide:

 Decided to start the design first,

to better gauge the colors needed

for the landscape part:

 Fun toning the canvas with 

pink and orange:

Ultramarine blue and 

cerulean blue added:

 Continuing with color and details,

refining the clouds and road:

 Done! and drying on the easel:

 Design close up:

 Cruz del Cerro San 

Cristobal close up:

 And Vevie won't let 

me get away without

her own close up:

"Uphill, Peruvian Style"

Cruz del Cerro San Cristobal

Lima, Peru

9 x 12 acrylics

on wrapped canvas

Vevie (rhymes with Stevie)

my Virtual Paintout muse

Happy painting,

Retta