This painting is the start of a new direction for my body of work. I took some time off, not only from blogging, but from painting as well, and when I came back I had a whole slew of fresh ideas. The subject matter is still basically the same, but the approach couldn't be more different. As a result, I am enjoying the painting process more than I ever have. The idea is to portray the steam locomotive more like it really was, and to also capture the feeling of the world in which they operated. In order to do this I had to think about atmosphere and lighting, but also overall mood. In a way, I became more realistic with the painting, but I discovered a way to approach light, shadow and color in a way that opened my eyes to future possibilities.
The new approach allows me to blend realism and abstraction, but keep the image intact. It may be hard to believe, given the subdude nature of this painting, but over all, when I did this painting it was the most fun I'd had in years. Make your own call, of course, but I for one am happy about my fresh discovery.
