At the Beginning

Today was open studio and I started my next stairs painting. The canvas is 3 feet by 4 feet. It is store bought so it has a few coats of white gesso when you buy it. I am never happy with the surface. It is still too porous and the paint sinks in too much. So I add my own gesso. I’ve developed a process of using Venetian red for the dark passages and gold for the light passages. That’s what I did here. You are looking down the stairs in the foreground. Next time I paint I’ll create the drawing and painting on top of what you see here. I’ll keep posting as I go. Here is the reference photo.
https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2423298759615057789