more Emira Art - this time DV....

[eclat2emira]

...some quick progress shots, feels like the home stretch is not too far away.

 

[eclat2emira]

This is what Bank Holidays were invented for! Another milestone as that is the bodwork almost complete, just the detailing of the intakes under the front bumper to go.

Then it's interior through the windscreen (windshield to many of you) headlight and both wheels - a fighting chance of completion tomorrow!

 

[eclat2emira]

...not forgetting, Lotus and FE badges to add as well!

 

[Eagle7]

Coming together nicely! It isn't until you look down upon it that you realize just how long those hood vents really are.

 

[eclat2emira]

Something's happening inside....

Still quite a bit of detail work to go on the interior but all the basic forms are there.

 

[eclat2emira]

Some more interior detailing complete, headlight done, just the dashtop vents to go, then wipers.

Wheels underway - much easier to paint them both at the same time this time round, lesson learned!

Please note, these will be full production wheels, not preproduction prototypes! 🤣

 

[eclat2emira]

Coming together nicely! It isn't until you look down upon it that you realize just how long those hood vents really are.

They are vast! It will be really interesting to see the aero at work after a drive on a wet dirty road - all the tell-tales should be there like the green flow-vis paint in F1!

 

[eclat2emira]

I've seen many times people imagine that the Nighthawks image would be with famous people like Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, etc. but I never saw it that way. When I look at it, the first thing I see dynamically is the soda jerk; he's saying something to the man in front of him who's listening intently. The body language of the man on the far left says even though he's not the one being talked to, he's also listening intently. The redhead is not interested in the conversation at all; she could care less as she stares at her fingernails in obvious boredom.

This was done in 1942 when World War 2 was going on. This was before television, so the main vehicle for news was radio, newspapers and social gatherings. Someone who worked at a bar, coffee shop, soda fountain, etc. would be a focal point for hearing all kinds of things during the day. A lot of times people would go to those places just to hear the latest, and in this case, it would be about the war and how things were going. In 1942 the country was fresh out of the depression of the 30's, and still reeling from the attack at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. The men in the painting are well dressed, so they're business men. My impression is the one facing us is a local, possibly a business owner and the redhead is his trophy. The one with his back to us gives me the vibe of being a traveling salesman for some reason; the man in the grey flannel suit type of thing. His clothes aren't as expensive looking as the guy with the redhead next to him.

This was the genius of Hopper; his ability to capture a moment, to tell a story without a single word or anything moving. His work was more subtle than Norman Rockwell's, though I love his work too. Even though Hopper's work was less photographically detailed than Rockwell's, his work always looked "right". He had an eye for scene balance and perspective, and always chose the most interesting color palette for his paintings. Even though his work was subtle, his choice of colors typically was not. Very interesting contrast.

Like this one. A simple composition yet it says so much. Her body language says disappointment on the edge of sadness. She's waiting for somebody who's not just late, but late to the point of maybe not showing up. Has she been stood up? This was in the day when there weren't any personal communication devices. You just waited; not knowing anything as to why they're late. This was done in 1927, near the end of the roaring twenties.

View attachment 4512

When you look at his work you get the impression these aren't made up; they have that feeling of being scenes and things he's actually seen and remembered, because there was something about it that made an impression on him, and it's that impression that he wants to capture and reproduce, and he does.

Room in New York 1932. This was in the early years of the great depression, right after the stock market crash of 1929. Financial worries were rampant, especially in New York where the market crash hit the hardest. It looks like they're supposed to be going out. She's trying to be patient; she's dressed and ready to go, but the newspaper is more interesting to him than she is at the moment. There's a marked contrast between the focused intensity of his body language as he's reading the news, while hers is lazy boredom; trying to be patient, but with her finger on a piano key as a not-quite-so-subtle reminder to him that they're supposed to be going out, and she's waiting. Brilliant story telling.

View attachment 4513

I feel so sorry for kids today that are wasting so much of their time on things like Tik Tok, Instagram, etc. It's like they're just skipping across the surface of life, never taking the time to explore the richness of the depth of things. There's so much richness in history, art, philosophy, etc. that they'll never even know exists. Such a shame.

Yes, the story-telling, or more specifically the art of suggested narrative, is a real skill. There doesn't have to be one right answer, in fact it is better to leave room for the viewer to impose their interpretation of events and who these people are based on their own experiences.

I will be looking up more Hopper and Rockwell, have a look at Kenton Nelson's work - it is large body of work which has variety within it but is all connected by being in his own imagined, idealised version of California.

 

[eclat2emira]

Wheely good progress tonight but still not over the finish line...

 

[Eagle7]

This is looking so good. Almost done!

 

[TomE]

They are vast! It will be really interesting to see the aero at work after a drive on a wet dirty road - all the tell-tales should be there like the green flow-vis paint in F1!

View attachment 4624

You mean like this?

 

[Eagle7]

Lol. I don't know... somehow brown up the sides just isn't quite as high-tech looking as fluorescent green. I'm definitely going to look into some kind of mud flaps for the front though. I wish there was a photo of this white car from the back to see how the back looks.

 

[TomE]

Probably dirty, like this development car:

 

[eclat2emira]

You mean like this?

View attachment 4637

Looks like it's been competing in rally cross! I was hoping to see some nice tell-tale trails exiting the bonnet vents, there is a nice little bit of flow indication aft of the engine intake at the top.

 

[frazzer]

Wheels beautifully rendered, not too much nor too little, a lesser painter would have overworked it

 

[eclat2emira]

Wheels beautifully rendered, not too much nor too little, a lesser painter would have overworked it

Thank you - you have a very good eye!

 

[eclat2emira]

And we are done.

Two FE colour Emiras done, four to go. This was quite a different painting experience to Hethel Yellow, the contrast ground, slightly larger Emira image and the green metallic all playing their part.

The wheels felt like a bit of deja vu, my favourite combo of silver with yellow callipers again and like last time I damped down the yellow reflections on the wheel barrels which are a bit OTT on the configurator.

Different wheel and calliper combo on the next one to look forward to.

Thanks for all the comments and encouragement, questions and observations during the process. The best measure for me is it feels like 60 - 70 hours of my life have been productively spent.

But I will now be watching some TV and going out walking for a few evenings!

 

[donskibeat]

Fantastic, you are very talented can't wait to see a Magma Red one......

 

[Eagle7]

Excellent work, first class! Right up there with any famous artist.

I looked up Kenton's work and I can see a lot of Hopper's influence in there. His stuff reminds me a lot of the fabulous travel posters of the 1930's. That kind of impressionist style was very popular.

Maxfield Parrish was another who was famous for that type of work. He did a lot of magazine covers as well as individual art pieces, Daybreak being one of his most famous. His works were more classical than impressionist, but he was an earlier painter, around the turn of the century.

 

[NicolasB]

Excellent work again! Can you add black wheels and upper black pack real quick? 🤣