U2: eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour 2018

Atlanta...

Rainbow Edge, an 10″x8″ watercolor by me from this.

I thought the colors in the reference photo by @sethckal on IG were astonishing, and this is probably my favorite of the seven I painted. It certainly was one of the easiest, but Edge is always the easiest. The blue/pink/orange/lilac shadows on his face were almost psychedelic, and he’s got his Zen master game face on. My favorite part is the blur I made on his chin--so oddly satisfying.

Adam and Bono Kiss, an 11″x14″ watercolor by me from this.

I mean, sometimes I see a photo and I know I have to paint it. This one by @jbbrookman appeared on Twitter, and I immediately contacted him and asked if I could use it. He gave me his enthusiastic blessing. I pumped up the colors significantly and worked very hard on Adam’s coat. The wrinkles are so complex, and the white leather and his hair reflect colors so much more beautifully than black. I cursed his studded guitar strap, though. Each stud is different, of course. Bono was a treat as usual with his fabulous hat, still-evolving makeup, his shadowy skin, and his little mouth. Forever my artistic muse. I sold this painting to @oltre-i-confini (thank you!) before I even started painting it, and as soon as the cartoon was posted yesterday, another collector asked if she could buy it (wow!). She ended up purchasing one of the others. :)

Red Larry Mullen Jr Drumming, an 11″x14″ watercolor by me from this.

From a reference photo by Remy from @u2start on IG, this is one of those rare instances where I felt compelled to paint a fair amount of Larry’s drums, although I was complaining all the way. There’s just so much going on with them: little shiny parts and cords and microphones and metal. But at least the colors reflecting on the drums were beautiful, ranging from purple to pink to red to orange to yellow. Delicious. I spent two days painting them and a single morning painting Larry. I can’t stress enough what a treat it is to paint the band with these weird, saturated colors. One of the simplest parts of the painting that I actually like the most: the pale green light on his left shoulder. Larry was the last painting of the seven I made, and I felt a huge relief and sense of accomplishment when I put my brush down.