A few months ago I discovered this incredible photograph of a beautiful church on line. I fell in love with the bright vibrant colors and knew I had to paint it.
The first step was to paint the blue background. Once that was dry it was time to tackle the drawing. Given the “ant” perspective, I knew it would be very tricky and would not look right if the drawing itself wasn’t correct. Therefore, I drew a grid on the photograph composed of 1″ square blocks.
Next, I transferred the grid to the canvas using a 2:1 ratio. Using a charcoal pencil, I drew in the image.
Below is the finished painting. If anyone knows which church this is or its whereabouts, please let me know! Now that I have spent many hours with it, I would love to know the history!
Update
So, about a year ago, I stumbled on a website with this church. It is called Pena Palace and is located in Sintra Portugal. At that time I failed to update this Post. However, just the other day, while browsing my social media feed, a friend of mine posted photos from their family summer trip. And lo and behold, this beautiful church was the focal point! And this time I knew I had to follow through. So I did some digging and discovered that this incredible site began as the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Pena dating back to the 12th century. The structure was destroyed by the earthquake that hit Lisbon in 1755, after which time it lay in ruins until the 1840s when it was rebuilt by King Ferdinand II and Queen Maria II.
King Ferdinand II was one of the most cultured men of 19th century Portugal. He spoke many languages, and as a young Duke, was afforded a thorough education, including the arts. During his entire life, he maintained a deep connection with the arts whether as an artist, collector or sponsor and becoming known nationally as the King-Artist.
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JenLynnArt 
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