First Piece of the Season

So here's the first piece that I'm working on this season for the Pageant. I LOVE it. It's call El Jaleo. It was painted by John Singer Sargent with oil in 1880 and is 8' x 11.5'. Ours will be even larger. He also painted Mr. and Mrs. I.N. Phelps-Stokes, a painting which I also really, really like. Mom & I saw it in the Met when we were there in September 2004. It's huge. I think pretty close to life-size.

The costumes in El Jaleo are totally boring to build (Pageant style), but I love the painting. Can't you just hear it? I can hear the instruments playing, the song being sung, & the sound of the dancer's shoes on the wooden floor. I can hear the people who are watching whispering comments to each other. I can hear other musicians tuning their instruments for their piece to perform for the onlookers. I can hear hands clapping, drinks being enjoyed & a good time being had by all. I can hear the dancer breathing, I can hear the fringe on her shawl brushing against her skirt. Anyway, I love this painting. I'm glad I get to build it.