What to Paint - The Bell Tower at Mission San Miguel Arcangel

I came upon this subject by a circuitous route but such is life, in general. I was searching for images of the entry way to Mission San Miguel Arcangel in San Miguel, California. However, when I saw this bell tower among the images in my search, I immediately knew what part of this mission I really wanted to paint.

The bell tower is interesting to me because of the variety of the shapes of the bells. Also, the roofline over the three bells is stepped up which I think adds interest. For some reason terra cotta tile roofs have always appealed to me. As well, the delicate cross atop the left most bell, added another layer of contrast against the massive middle bell.

Another interesting aspect of this bell tower was that where the stucco had worn away, there wasn't the usual brick pattern. With a little research I learned that the bell tower, unlike much of the rest of the structure at the mission, had been built using stones from a nearby river. Their variety reminds me of the pebbles you can buy for the bottom of your fish tank. This array of color would add another layer of interest for the potential art lover viewing the finished painting.

All of these elements of this picture made me want to paint it. There were several images of the bell tower from different perspectives and distances. So, I printed them all and studied them as I planned my painting. I decided that this view would be the basis of my rendering of this beautiful relic of times gone by.