Laying the foundation for Neptune in Rome... thick and pink!

Based on a travel sketch and photo references, I mixed paint with modeling paste and used stiff brushes to lay down the foundation for this rather small painting (18 X 18). I favoured pink which is the color of air in Italy...

My plan is to float orange and turquoise on this absorbent ground... this is very experimental evidently. I want an abstract undefined mess with plenty of discernible marks in a close up that translates into pure figuration from a distance.... let's hope I don't end up with a "blue boy" or, even worst, a "pink boy"!

Note to self: "Using different primary colors poses definite challenges in the short term, but I want to broaden my horizons. Gotta get used to those new substitutes for crimson or alizarin... in a hurry! "