Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Hazelwood, 16 x 20, oil on linen

This is the latest of my vintage series of paintings. It is from an image taken in the early 1900s from the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh. I'm using Van Dyke brown, Portland gray and white to achieve a look similar to an aged photo. It really forces me to "feel the weight" of the buildings. I've told students for years that value trumps color every time. Now I'm getting a chance to practice what I preach.

2 comments:

  1. This is very interesting to me, Ron. I've been studying the paintings of artists from about 100 years ago of the smoke and sparks of the industrial heyday. I'm actually giving a speech on them tonight at the Penn Hills Art Assn. And I've been interpreting them in fabric. Time, and also the media, soften and slightly change the effect.

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  2. Love it. I have memories of Pgh from long ago and they are in these tones--probably tinted by photos I saw over the years! Beautiful work

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