Around the Table

Two steam engines wait for their duties on the tracks that radiate from a turn table.  Seeming peaceful, they are actually powerful beasts of iron, steal, fire, water and steam that will soon be moving at speeds close to '80 mph.The locomotive in the foreground represents another NYC Hudson.

A

A perfect combination of power and grace, the 2-6-6-4 class A moves a "hotshot" freight through the Virginia Country side. When I was about 9 years old, I experienced one of these locomotives at speed. Norfolk and Western Class A, 1218 was rebuilt in 1987 for use in excision service on the Norfolk Southern.  Seeing this giant in person, and seeing her running at track speed on a cold November night created a lasting image in me that I could never quite represent in painting or in writing.  As she flashed by, I could only briefly catch details.  I could tell she had 2 cylinders and 2 sets of reciprocating parts, but I didn't have time to catch her number or her wheel arrangement.  As time went by, 1218 became a favorite engine of mine, and later on I spent time studying and reading about the development of this outstanding class of steam locomotive. It has been a strong influence on my art ever since.

I believe I captured movement in this painting, in a way that is not always easy to do. My goal was to move fast, while still showing the details of the engine.  It is sometimes hard for me to abstract the locomotive too much, because the locomotive is, in its own design, a near perfect form.  In truth, it is many forms that come together to make something that  stands a neat and organized whole. The shape is like a beautiful woman, or a tiger ready to pounce, yet it is a mere machine, made by man for the task of moving goods and people.  The class A was made of iron and steal, yet she was full of life.