Tuesday, July 5, 2011

I finally get around to painting the Lees Summit Train Depot...

MISSOURI LANDSCAPE ART • TRAIN ART • TRACKS • SUMMER • SUNSET
"Coming Home" 12 x 24, oil on canvas
Over ten years ago, my wife Gina told me that I ought to do a painting of the local train station. She worked part time for a local gallery and said that people come in regularly asking for paintings of it. Sounded like an easy sale so I went over and checked the place out, came home and said "It's boring." A few years later Gina and my youngest daughter were riding home from St Louis on the Amtrac so I was there to pick them up. It was a hot August evening right about sunset and I was struck by the look and feel of the midwest mugginess. It had a timeless quality that took me back to childhood. There was something unique about the color of the sky and the foliage that I hoped to someday be able to capture in paint. Fast forward to this past June. I was driving through town and looked north up the tracks. There was my composition. I went back a few days later to photograph the place at sunset and was blessed with a bonus train plus a mother and daughter that were walking by at the same time. I decided to add both elements to the painting. I did the piece in the studio from my photos but kept trying to remember the subtle colors that cameras can't capture.

1 comment:

  1. Larry,
    This is another nice one. I thought it looked old before I read your entry. I think you captured the "timeless" and "back to childhood" feelings well.

    ReplyDelete