Courthouse At Dusk

I recently finished this painting of the Tarrant County Courthouse which was built in 1895 and is one of the architectural masterpieces here in Fort Worth.  It particularly shines at dusk when the light is fading and the city lights along Main Street are beginning to turn on.

And speaking of Main Street...the Main Street Arts Festival happens next week from Thursday to Sunday.  The festival is regarded as one of the nation's premiere art and craft fairs and is a fun event to experience.

"Courthouse at Dusk"   30" x 24"   Oil

A couple of details:

The Old Courthouse

"Courthouse"   10" x 8"   Watercolor

The clock on the downtown courthouse has been telling time for Fort Worth residents since 1895.  This small watercolor shows how it looked last year before a year-long renovation began.  Major work is being done on the tower and clock and the copper dome will be replaced.  All the new pieces will be fashioned exactly as the old ones.  It's going to look great!

And here's how it looks now.

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. 

"Horse Fountain"   10" x 8"  Watercolor

A watercolor of the top of the historic horse fountain by the courthouse.

"Ball-Eddleman-McFarland House"   10" x 8"  Watercolor

We live a few blocks away from this 1899 Queen Anne-style Victorian home.  Every time I walk by I appreciate its architecture, and love the way the verdigris and red sandstone complement each other. 

I just started this oil painting of the First United Methodist Church, a 1930 Gothic Revival structure we see out the north windows of our apartment.   We enjoy watching the effect of changing light on it from morning to night and in all seasons.