The Reference

Gardner chose this scene because he wanted to demonstrate how to paint a big mass in shadow with its silhouette as the focal point. The artist opted to paint on an untoned canvas, in part because he was looking into the bright sunlight. He premixed a lot of the block-in colors and used a few grays left over from the previous day’s painting session.

Step 1 The artist massed in the cart shape with no preliminary sketch and only depicted certain palm trees behind the cart that would serve his composition. He was not interested in accurately describing each item hanging off the cart—he only sought to capture their silhouettes. By keeping the background very light, the emphasis remained on the cart in shadow.

Step 2 Gardner did not count the spokes when he quickly laid them in. “The numbers will take care of themselves,” he said. A few lines reinforced the shape of the silhouette, then he scraped all of his shadow colors off to the side for use as “mud” colors. The artist turned his attention to the light colors in the background, and he let several light values mingle on his brush to create varied passages of color on his canvas.

Step 3 Next, Gardner filled the foreground with neutral colors for rocks and some peachy-pinks to act as a complement against the green grass. With the canvas covered, the artist began to adjust shapes, colors, and values to create a pleasing whole that would read correctly in terms of form and atmosphere.

Step 4 Finally, the artist added the highlights. To start, he cleaned an area of his palette to keep the highlight mixtures pure. Gardner reminded himself to stay calm as he added these critical details—they required precise brushstrokes. He twisted the tip of a small brush in the color mixture. Gardner held the brush above the canvas and practiced the strokes he planned to use several times before actually making the marks. He reminded students to use a variety of highlight colors for the different areas of the painting. The Completed Painting: Patsy’s Cart 2007, oil, 11 x 14. Courtesy Galeria Gardner, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

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