A conversation on underpainting with my father might be a particularly interesting one these days - I watched him do it for years growing up, not completely understanding what was going on.. a kid watching a master at work. When he passed away a few years ago, now left without his words and insight, I looked closer and closer at his work - diving into the transparency and layering involved. I immediately understood the underpaintings I had seen for so long - the groundwork done before the colors, the framework that upholds all of the detail and the bits your eye is drawn to; the real meat of the work that is rarely noticed by the viewer - it informs everything that comes after it. I stopped the other day to take this picture of the planer passes that set up an FM’s balance... the planer work that makes them tick but nearly vanishes to the naked eye just one step later - these cuts hold the rest of the design on its shoulders. Hanging on my wall in the background is the piece my dad was beginning to paint at the time of his passing - it’s a simple underpainting, awaiting its detail, exactly like the board in front of it.