Foggy Morning on the Railway Bridge II (12 x 17 watercolor) SOLD
I’ve always heard that art is therapeutic. And perhaps it is for some people, but not for me. When I’m depressed, I get in fights with paintings and I lose all sense of self judgment. Everything I paint, I deem of no value. Sometimes I’m right. Sometimes I’m not.
I painted these three almost identical views of the old Salem railway bridge about two years ago during a fit of depression. They are the survivors of perhaps six different attempts. I doubt the ones I threw away were all that much different. In the end I put the project aside in frustration and painted other easier things.
Foggy Morning on the Railway Bridge III (12 x 16 watercolor on clayboard) Available
About a week ago, when getting ready for the Silverton Fine Arts Festival (last weekend) and the Artisan Village at the Oregon State Fair (next weekend), I discovered that I had sold so much this last year, that I was in some danger of not having enough art to fill the space. So I looked back through some of my older work for things to frame and found these old bridge paintings. Looking at them now, I can’t figure out why I didn’t like them. They do exactly what I wanted them to do. They capture the foggy morning atmosphere, and they give a sense of how much the trestle draw bridge feels like an open cathedral.
Foggy Morning on the Railway Bridge I (12 x 18 watercolor) Available
Because version number two was painted on clayboard, I didn’t even have to frame it to hang it. The painting got a surprising amount of attention considering that I hung it on the back side of my booth. Several people asked if there were prints available. So I promised that by this evening I would get the painting on line. And here, they are.
