The Long Goodbye

"Outbound" 11x14 Oil

Walpole, MA has a beautiful old train station. I have been meaning to paint it for years. That plan somehow kept getting pushed back on my to do list. One day while standing on the platform and watching the train approach, it was the ah-hah moment. I decided I would paint it including the train instead of focusing on just the station This meant viewing it from the platform instead of approaching it as I came up the hill. I may still do that view at some point, but I wanted to include my daughter hugging her friend one last time.  We never know when we may never see someone again and we should always savor any time we have with our friends and family. This hug was one of those moments. I think it is important to keep precious memories alive.
I combined several photographic images to create the composition I wanted. I had to take a picture as the train was moving as it never actually stops with this view. I liked the strong verticals and diagonals that seem to complement the station's angular appearance. The viewer's eye is led to the strong vertical of the figures that is slightly off center. The lines seem to encompass them like an additional hug. 

 

WOW!

Clark's Pond in Walpole, MA 16x20 oil

Driving home when the sun is setting is always a special time. There are days when I just have to pull over. This was one them. The sun coming through the trees and radiating out across the freshly fallen snow prompted me to make a U-turn and savor an impressive sight. I tried to evoke that feeling in this 16x20 painting. The weeds were growing up along the roadside and the bright orange contrasted with the blues of dusk. The stand of trees was vibrant and glowed in the distance.