Underpass tunnel with headlights

For an otherwise mundane scene, this painting turned out to be pretty dramatic. The funny thing about it, is that I don't recall actually painting the car with its headlights, I did a side drag with burnt umber/carbon black and left it as is. Either luck or subliminal, it looks just as if a car with headlights is emerging. The sky included a dark blue bar across the top which is a 19th century Japanese technique used by Hiroshige's wood block printers all the time. It adds a dramatic lighting effect to the sky, an ethereal glow. 

Underpass tunnel with headlights, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024