St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

5/6/13 Noodler's Lexington Grey ink, watercolor,
Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook

Whenever I drive west on my way to the zoo, I see a beautiful church tower on North 80^th that looks like the Pope’s miter. I took an extended lunch break today and dashed over to Greenwood to sketch it. I learned that its name is the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.

 

Wanting to apply what I learned from Gail Wong last week, I tried to follow her tea/coffee/milk/cream metaphor. Unfortunately, I did it backwards, applying the darks first. One lesson I did listen to very carefully, though, is “selective painting.” I have ruined otherwise decent sketches by painting trees or bushes around a focal point – and the trees end up becoming the focal point with their messiness. Today after I painted the church and sky, I was about to mix some dark green for the trees – and I stopped.

 

Whew, that was close.