Skip to content

Rod Chase Biography

Each painting begins by producing several monochromatic color studies on illustration board. While the painting is based on a single black and white photo, hundreds of additional digital photographs are used to help determine composition and create additional detail. Next, the image is carefully drawn on the canvas using both grids and freehand techniques.

Using the photos as reference, I divide the painting into small sections, bringing each area to a finish before proceeding to the next. The acrylic paint is applied in thin layers so as to leave no visible brushstrokes. Occasionally, I use an Iwata airbrush to soften the sky. As I advance, changes are made from the original photo, i.e., objects are moved, values altered, and detail added; thus producing a work that is superior to the photo. Each painting usually takes two months of full time work to complete.

It is not necessarily a photographic quality I’m after but rather reality as viewed through a timeless window.

Rod Chase

Save