City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks

Strings of street lights, even stop lights blink a bright red and green...

Video by Justin Tennison

"Haltoms Clock"   30" x 20"   Oil

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

On And Off Again

I was never entirely pleased with the way I had painted the foreground in this painting.  So I had what I thought was the bright idea to turn on the lamp.

But when I did that the artificial light seemed to compete with the natural light beyond the archway - my eye kept jumping back and forth from the outdoor light to the inside light.

So I turned the light back off.  What remained was the warmer, richer- colored interior which I feel works better now.  As one of my teachers used to say, "A painting is a series of adjustments."

"Sundance Courtyard"   18" x 12"   Oil

Sundance Courtyard

"Sundance Courtyard"   18" x 14"   Oil

I had passed right by this spot in downtown Fort Worth many times and had never noticed it before.  Our daughter, who works at Earth Bones on Main Street, showed us this little courtyard behind the shop.  It is the site of outdoor dining for Cabo Grande and Risky's Barbeque.  Painting the city where I live has really helped me appreciate the beauty that is all around - if I would just open my eyes to see it.

Downtown Nightscape Finished

"The Haltoms Clock"   30" x 20"   Oil

This painting of the downtown Haltoms clock is now finished.  And speaking of time... it's hard to believe that my "Year in Fort Worth" is almost finished as well!  

A Frame Around It

Sometimes as I'm working on a painting I'll temporarily put it in a frame.  This helps me to visualize it without all the clutter and distractions around the studio.  Since a painting often looks better in a frame it also gives me hope and encourages me to keep working until it's finished!  I've still got some work to do on this one (does anybody really know what time it is?) but I'm enjoying painting all the city lights and reflections.

Downtown Nightscape

I've just begun a painting of downtown Fort Worth at night, featuring the 100 year old Haltom's Jewelers clock in Sundance Square.  This pedestrian friendly 14-block area of shops and restaurants is a popular destination and on weekends is particularly lively.  I hope to capture some of the vibrancy of Fort Worth's downtown nightlife.

The View From Our Balcony

"Balcony View"   12" x 16"   Oil

This view is always fascinating to me - at all times of day and in every season.  Weather permitting, I like to drink my morning cup of coffee on the balcony as I watch the city wake up.  

The buildings take on a different character and color scheme with every change of weather (sun, storm, fog, snow) and with every passing moment at sunrise and sunset.  It would take a thousand paintings to capture this ever-changing view.  I painted this one in the late afternoon.  

The county courthouse (you can see its clock tower in the middle of the painting) is about a mile from here.  Restoration work is about to begin on the clock tower, so I took some photos this week before the scaffolding goes up and plan to paint a nighttime view of the building from Main Street.