I can very directly say, now, that making train paintings is life long project. I was originally going to title my first post "beginnings", but that would not be a very accurate title, since I've been using trains as my subject matter since before I can remember.
This Painting is called Century 1. The title came from the fact that I used the 20th Century Limited and the New York Central's Hudson type locomotive as an inspiration. The name also seemed fitting because of the dawning of a new century, (the 20th century that is).
My usage of color represents the life and movement that springs from the locomotive, while the dark blues that creep in on the edges represents the darkness of the urban landscape that the train traverses. The locomotive seems to be bathed in a yellow street lamp light. In this painting I was inspired by the abstract expressionists as well as Film Noir and the city of New York.
The smaller steam locomotive in the little vignette is a locomotive off of the Pennsylvania railroad, the main competitor of the NYC. It represents one of their large freight hauling Texas types, but there is no headlight or number plate, leaving the locomotive essentially unidentified. The lack of these elements also makes the engine seem decidedly more dead than the very much alive Hudson.
