Here is a painting that I almost did not do because it seemed impossible. There are so many bikes in Amsterdam that they built two-level bike racks where a metal roller is pulled out and the bike loaded up on the second level. As a result there was a veritable pile of bikes, hundreds, outside of the Amstel station (east part of Amsterdam). I completed the upper part of the painting including the sky, building and tree in the middle, and then faced with a blank piece area of paper at the bottom I painted the bikes. Not knowing how to accurately paint hundreds of bikes in a 3 x2 inch space, I decided on an abstract approach. The wheels, handles, seats and myriad of colours were completed in a mere 5 minutes. To my surprise it worked out very well, the feel I get looking at the painting is the same as the feel I got looking at the scene, even more than a month later I remember. Lastly I filled in the trees behind the station, did the windows quickly, and lifted some colour off the tree because I wanted the tree to look like the wind was blowing and the leaves were moving, reflecting the sky.
5.5 x 7.5" hot press watercolour. Sept. 2018
