swimming pool – underpainting

This is work on  a painting of  the backyard pool- a classic  above ground beauty, circa 1970 or there abouts.  So far I’ve almost accomplished an under-painting – details defined in umber and washes of greyish blue and umber. I have lots of snap shots of this pool in my mind but my favorites are the darker ones – too cold to swim, a steely, cloudy day, leaves and japanese beetles floating on the water. I want to show it to you past its prime, listing a little and rust insulting the happy stripes. I was attracted to melancholic things as a kid and I still very much am – I think there’s a shadow of melancholy in almost everything I do. I’m happy to fully indulge that inclination for this picture.   I’ll begin to add color this week  (I might share a snippet of progress on instagram or facebook) and I’ll post the bleak scene here  in full color next Wednesday.