Painting in a Series

Who doesn't love an old train station? This one is located in the town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, which was originally named Mauk Chunk before the famous Olympian lent his name to the place. The architectural features of this wonderful old building made it attractive as a subject with its repeated triangular shapes. But it was the cast shadows that made it especially intriguing to me.

Cast shadows don't have to be blue. They can take on the rich tones of the local color of the object, in this case, red.

The photo you work from doesn't have to be an artistic masterpiece but only act as a reminder of the things you liked about the subject. As evidence, here is the photo of the train station I worked from. Jim Thorpe is in a very mountainous region and I wanted to indicate that, so I added mountains to both sides of the station as well as some suggestions of other building in the old town. It also keeps the perspective from leading you right out of the picture area and balances the shapes on both sides of the painting.

Remember, a photograph should not dictate the composition, the color or the content of your painting.