Washington DC Duke Ellington Bridge, USA

This could have been a picture from my Spain collection from 1998, however it is a recent painting done on location in Washington DC. The bridge is decorated with bronze pillars topped by eagles, and the rest of it is made from a kind of brownish stone. There was a cherry tree perhaps, blossoming in the foreground, and in the background some red tile roof houses that belong in the Mediterranean. 

Maybe the most exciting thing about painting on location is the sort of 'energy' the final painting has... careful inspection of this painting reveals a whole bunch of what you would call mistakes... I wont say what specifically, (ok, the perspective is a little off on the bridge arches, and the bridge was obviously a lot straighter in places.... but that is not the point...) when I look at this painting I can almost feel the humidity, sense the cool breeze and the hot sun, hear the cars on the bridge... I hope the viewer also gets this kind of energy. Doing things quick, and letting the paint 'do what it wants' is one way to get these effects, but the danger is you are working on the fine line of creating a disaster or a masterpiece... I guess that's what being an artist means after all.In a practical sense though, when I do studio work where you have more time, I do try and recapitulate some of the spontaneous elemts of the location work. I think doing the two types of painting (studio and location) can really help you grow.

5x7" cold press, 2011.