On Closer Inspection....

 

More Chapel Details...

As You Can see, Dear Readers, I found a few more places in The Chapel murals that needed some work before I could declare them complete. The above picture shows a narrow edge of unfinished wall tucked behind the central column at the Chapel's side. The column, when put in it's final location, would conceal this edge from the view in the front opening side wall. But if the viewer happened to be looking in through the Great Hall Doorway to the Chapel... this unpainted section is clearly visible!

 

As you can see from this angle looking through that doorway. 

(The Chapel would not be this brightly lit.... but still...

 that unfinished corner would bug me!)

 

Here that corner has been painted.... you can see

 the Central Column is not in place in this shot.

 

Here you can see the close-up with the Column in place... 

the shadow of the post obscures the painted area, 

but the white would have been visible.

 

And the view from inside The Great Hall 

with the Central Column in place. 

I am so glad I thought to look 

before I had glued the Column in place!

 

Here you can see the Last Judgement portion of the ceiling 

waiting for me to paint those demons in the lower corner.

 

 Here you can see the piece of trim that 

"goes around the corner" and sits at the top of the wall. 

The demons need to seem to be climbing out of the fiery earth....

 

And while I am working on those Demons,

 I noticed that I still had not painted the second layer of green 

for the grass throughout this scene... so I got right to it! 

Here it is half painted.... it adds such a layer of richness

 and intensity to the painting!

 

And here the grass has been done and I am working on the Demons. 

I found it surprisingly difficult to paint the demons!

 They just aren't my usual imagery 

and I don't have a thing for ghoulish.....

 

I had to study my reference books to get me going....

 

As with all these images.... they are very small... 

but need to make a powerful statement...

 

Here are the two on the ceiling panel.....

 

And with the trim panel held in place so you can see them together. 

I do think the red one is my best....

 

 And I hope you are not surprised, Dear Readers, 

to learn that I noticed a few more unfinished details

 while contemplating those demons. 

They sit directly above an array of Saints' portraits

  which arch over the main doorway. 

Those Saints were painted years ago... 

back at the very beginning of the Chapel construction... 

but which Saints are they?

 I had to go back into my archives to discover their names.

 

And as with many things Medieval, I wanted 

to incorporate their names into their picture 

so future viewers would know who they were seeing up there.

 There are plenty of examples of Illuminated texts

 with this sort of clue added to the pictures,

 so I felt bold enough to try it for myself. 

The hard part, is that this is the right hand wall.... 

I could not get my right hand in at the right angle to do the lettering.

 I had to use my left hand, even though I am right handed!

 

It was slow.... very slow and very careful work

 using my micron black ink pen. 

The wall surface is annoyingly rough 

and the letters are small...

 freehand, no pencil or sketching... 

just wing it! 

But I got it done! 

And now you know their names.

 

And yes, the arched door frame is still not glued in place...

 it sits patiently waiting for the final moment.

 

And while looking more carefully at the already "finished"

 trim panel above the Madonna and Child painting

 (the very first part of the Chapel to be started...)...

 I happened to notice some of the red paint

 on those red and gold arches was lamentably pale... 

and had clearly Not received a second coat of paint 

all those years ago! 

I am so glad I noticed now while the access is easy!

 

Here it is completed. 

The differences is subtle... but real!

 

And how could I ignore the Crucifixion painting, Dear Readers, 

where the figure of Mary is painted partly on one wall

 and partly on the next.... and they don't quite meet accurately!

 Alas, this is that dreaded right hand wall.... 

I cannot get my right hand to paint at that angle. 

Or so I thought! 

I was able to get the paintbrush snaked between

 the candlestick and the wall to add just a tiny sliver

 of white paint to extend Mary's cloak around her head.... 

and added the blue layer before 

remembering to take any pictures..... 

but here you can see it shapes her face better this way. 

 

I also added the lettering to the scroll at the top of the Cross

 (again, using my left hand).

 

And then I added detail to the eyes and mouth on Mary.

 Just the tiniest dabs of darker colors. 

But now she can clearly "see".

 

And the blood of Jesus's wounds. 

This painting is very difficult to see

 from the outer side of the Chapel... 

so I contented myself with these 

layers of detail and left the rest alone.

 

Which brings us to putting all the parts together

 and seeing how it looks.....!

 

Here is the Chapel with the flash... 

I never think the flash does it justice...

perhaps we should try it with just the candles lit?

 

Here is the inner Chapel with just the candles 

(and daylight too) showing the Crucifixion panel...

 

And the Moses panel... I know... 

outside of the inner chapel you can't see much...

 

 So I have added the flash... 

here is the Nativity and Crucifixion side 

along with the Last Judgement over the doorway.

 

 And the Altar with the Madonna and Child 

and God in Heaven above, 

between the Moses and Crucifixion panels.

 

And closeup on The Crucifixion panel...

 

And closeup of the Moses panel and much of the Noah panel 

which stands outside the inner Chapel...

 

And the Adam and Eve panel 

below the Creation scenes on the ceiling...

 

 

And another look at the Last Judgement

 scene with the Demons..... have I missed anything...? 

 

Heavens, Dear Readers, 

On closer inspection 

I do believe I have finished 

the Chapel painting details! 

(With the exception of the 

Opening Wall doors that is....) 

 

The Chapel...

 

Details.... 

When we last looked closely at the Adam and Eve mural in The Chapel, Dear Readers, there was a whole list of missing little details that needed completing. And it wasn't even a complete list, if I am honest! I had ignored a whole layer of coverage on the greenery in the main portion of the mural. Those vines and roses were all still needing the second coat of their base pigments. This was obvious to me as soon as I looked closely with an eye to "getting this painting done!" Fortunately, the designs were fairly straight-forward and just needed matching the hues which was also a quick process. I am always astonished at how much better the painting looks with the second layers! After that it was just the remaining details on the leaves and the grapes (the roses were already done) and then the Tree and the ground itself.

 

Here the leafy vines and the grapes have received their layers...

 

And here the Tree itself has had more layers painted and 

the details in the leaves, the figs in particular have been finished.

 This makes the Paradise portion of the painting complete! 

But I still have a long list for the Earthly Living portions below. 

At least I have decided that this is the right hue for

 the blue background, so no more layers are needed there. 

It was surprisingly difficult for me

 to hone in on Adam delving and Eve spinning. 

This is partly because I need to keep reminding myself

 that I am attempting to paint a more primitive

 style vignette than is normal for me.

This needs to be stark, stylized and all about the narrative. 

They are evicted from Paradise for their disobedience

 and now they must live forever in the harsh world of work and pain. 

They clearly are not happy about this. 

I am not happy about this!

 And since it is late, I leave it for the next day.

 (Rushing is always a recipe for ruination in mini painting!)

 

And as I am pondering the painting the following day, 

I am reminded that this is the Corner of the Castle.... 

and the Corner posts have not been "strengthened" 

the way they were on the other Castle Tower structure! 

This is another one of those oversights in the original design. 

The more I study the problem, the more I am convinced 

that this corner needs "augmentation" and it needs it

 before the Chapel is declared "finished" 

and all the parts glued in place! 

 

In the above picture you can see that the lovely painted 

ceiling vault ribs don't land very securely on that corner post. 

I know, this will be hardly visible once the Chapel is done....

 but now that I have noticed it I can't leave it as is!

 

I decided to use some of the fancy trim I used on 

the supporting post in the middle of the Chapel 

to "beef up" the post without making it huge

 like the corner posts of the Guard Room. 

I cut a capital from a scrap of plywood and

 am testing the position in the above picture. 

There will be a second trim piece along the inside 

of the post, but I need to carve away some of the 

wall trim before it will fit in place.

 

Here the inner piece has been fitted... 

I carved away a piece of the wall trim.

 

And the column will need a better "footing".... 

again to copy the model of the central column... 

which necessitated carving back the 

"bondo" stone flooring in that corner....!

 

And all the pieces together will look like this... 

tucked in against the outer opening wall doorway

 once it is attached in place.

 

And the upper portion.... 

though I need to adjust that capital! 

And the "stonework" needs to be painted.

 

 And here I am gluing the new corner pieces in place.... 

again, the shapes are too challenging for my clamps.... 

but this worked to apply the necessary pressure!

 

 Which left me no more excuses for avoiding

 painting Adam's and Eve's details.... 

starting with their "clothing". 

The Bible says the Lord provided them

 with animal skins to cover their nudity. 

(Clearly, the fig leaves were not going to work!)

 

Here you can see I have attempted to render "fur" 

possibly sheep pelts (?) to cover their nakedness. 

And I have added a little to Adam's shovel

 and the distaff Eve is holding.  

 

And as usual, once I got started 

I forgot to take progress pictures.... 

the plants in the ground... 

the leaves on the trees... 

Eve's wool fibers.... 

and Gabriel's wings and hair and halo,

 not to mention the Gates of Eden itself.... 

even the Serpent received an extra layer of paint

 and a beady eye as he slithers out of Paradise 

into the Earthly Realm.

 

And a final coat of gold paint

 on the border around the mural. 

Must I now call it done? 

The closer one gets to "finished"

 the harder it is to know when to stop...

 But, yes, I am calling it done!

 

And with the ceiling in place, Dear Readers, 

we can see how the panels relate to each other...

 

And farther back, with more of the ceiling visible....

 and the other walls too....

 

And a view of the entire Chapel....

 

There is still one little corner of the Ceiling painting,

 that needs to be completed...

 the lower corner of The Last Judgement panel

 where the Demons are Devouring Lost Souls.... !

 

But that will have to wait for another day, Dear Readers,

Because we have not quite reached the End.... 

of all The Chapel Details!