Geometric challenges

My usual preference in subject matter is nature -  trees, mountains, oceans, anything outdoors. I can't explain why I felt compelled to paint bottles on a wall in a wine cellar, other than this project is the opposite of everything in my comfort zone. Plus, seeing bottles everywhere was eye-catching, and I do love tasting wine.

I started off with an 18" x 24" wood panel, prepared with painters tape to protect the edges (a new process I am trying) and 3 layers of fused wax medium. I had my photo enlarged on a basic paper (printed at the local Staples) and I burnished and transferred the image onto the panel although I had some trouble keeping the image intact.

As you can see there are plenty of white spaces, and I am considering leaving some of the white areas. The key will be finding a balance between the colors of the stacked bottles and maintaining a pattern.

I progressed as far as painting all of the wood shelves, and some of the darks and reds in the top right hand corner. It's frustrating because I know I am not able to create an even bottle pattern without a stencil and I am trying not to get caught up in precise details. Tomorrow I will make better progress, maybe even finish this.