Class J At Speed

This painting has been SOLD

The Norfolk and Western class J was one of the finest steam engines ever built, not only from a design standpoint, but from a mechanical standpoint as well.  Volumes have be written about the Js, and in 1982, the only remaining class J was restored to operation by Norfolk Southern for their then thriving steam program. Painting a J is like depicting shear power, beauty and grace all in one painting.  The 611 in her pure form helps me sum up all the reasons to paint all at once. 

The modern era was really kicked off with, first, the photograph, and then, the "moving pictures". Early film makers often used trains, as they showed movement like nothing else and could help captivate audiences. In 1903, Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery was considered a milestone in film technique. Buster Keaton's 1927 film, The General, was a great moving picture that used a steam locomotive more as a member of the cast than as a prop. Some of the greatest shots of steam locomotives in history are from Keaton's film, including a spectacular wreck, (using a real locomotive).

It is in these above mentioned ways that the early movies and the steam locomotive are directly linked together, and both symbols of true modernism. This painting is slightly older than some of the others, (produced in 2006), but it deals with the same ideas of movement and modernism.

Steam Modernism

Yet another painting, loosely based on the New York Central Hudson type locomotives. I continue working through ways to pull all my ideas together about modernism and what it all means in my paintings. This painting was inspired by a dream that I had. A brooding storm was overhead, and I was on a long, steam powered train, moving through a very barren landscape. This painting gets the general feeling of the dream across, while keeping with my ideas about steam modernism.

Modern Power 1

Modern Power 1

This painting has been SOLD

It was started soon after Century 1, but I didn't actually get around to finishing it until at least 6 months after I started it. Sometimes paintings go through many metamorphoses before reaching their final potential. Sometimes, these changes are part of a planned process, and other times it just happens that way. This painting is a result of a combination. I found it to be a very successful painting, conceptually keeping with the others, yet containing some new ideas simultaneously. As you move through the layers, you can see how the train has endured through time. Moving from one era to the next, finally emerging as the modern steam engine you see pictured. There are 4 locomotives in addition to the class J depicted front and center. 2 of the 4 are too small to be noticed, and 1 is so faintly painted into one of the layers that it is also hard to see. Most people will only see 2.

The industrial city skyline in the background represents Roanoke Virginia of the 1950s. The locomotive is one of the famous Norfolk and Western class J locomotives, known for being among the most modern steam locomotive ever built. These engines were also made famous when in 1982 a class J, number 611, was restored to service. Many people probably remember seeing 611 at one point or another as she racked up mileage, pulling excursions for the NS steam program. She was removed from service in 1994 and has been silent ever since. I saw her run several times, and she had a huge effect on me as an artist, as a railfan, and as a lover of good machining and fine industrial design.