When I began this picture in Plymouth, Massachusetts, I had no idea where it would end. Something about the atmosphere in front of the British Beer Company created a feel, which could not be ignored. I will let the process speak for itself, after the jump.

The world doesn’t need another painting of the Mayflower, so I decided on a local pub (which, I hear, now has seven other bars.)

Starting the under drawing.

Getting everything in place.

Nailing down the marquee.

Beginning with the sky, and continuing the layout.

Under painting with warm tones.

For some reason, the reds and oranges were speaking to me.

Still pushing the composition, and looking to eliminate the white spaces.

I love it when people with outfits matching the canvas stroll in the background.

It was around this point that I started to get in the groove.

Feeling the composition, finally.

Blue with a hot under painting – at this point, trying to figure out where this thing is going.

Starting to make some sense.

Still working around the canvas, hot-to-cold.

Painting the light with a light color.

Had to run off to a BBQ, so here is where the picture ended for day one.

Day two, here is where things started to get weird.

For some reason, none of the colors were making sense. Here, I decided something had to be done, but ended for the day.

It felt like the Chelsea Hotel piece I did many moons ago, so I decided on a black wash.

Covered, and covered again with a liberal splashing of gel medium.

I woke up at 5:00 AM with the idea of CMYK – how can I keep the canvas essential, geometrical, and as weird as the experience of creation?

And the final strokes are complete – blemishes and all.