Mardi Gras World - stage 1

After finishing "La Nebbia" this morning I spent the afternoon "drawing" up this scene just outside New Orleans that I visited some years ago. "Mardi Gras World" is a huge hangar-like building (I hope it's still there after Hurricane Katrina came through) in a suburb of New Orleans (lots of Shotgun Shacks here that could be the subject of another painting) where a large collection of giant masks and heads are stored from previous Mardi Gras parades. The idea for the painting hangs on a dark almost monochromatic foreground and mid-ground set against a bright late afternoon sky. I want it quite dark, although rich in colour so that at first you don't notice the surreal placing of the alligator head that sits at the entrance to the attraction. This was "drawn" up with a mix of Ultramarine Purple and Liquin with some tone added to make the build-up quicker when I add the next layer tomorrow.