Mid race II - final step... managed to dial down the background by hook or crook!

In the end, I decided to sacrifice constrast in favour of a stuffy stadium atmosphere. My approach for the background could have been more streamlined so freshness was lost relative to my usual process...

I keep telling myself that inside the comfort zone, there is no growth. I keep pushing the envelope and this painting was another attempt to do just that.

It's time to get back to the beach series... to take a rest... the hell with growth... I want to have fun... life's a beach!

Note to self: "I realize that it is easier and more effective to express in paint a scene that one has witnessed, observed, sketched or photographed as opposed to build from scratch a scene from other source materials such as video stills and images. The latter requires a lot of experience to make things look real. The 100 m series, despite being a good experience for me, suffers from my not having been there! "