7.01.2009

The Little Caboose That Could

We are so lucky to have a working train yard in Alamosa and "scenic" trains, pulled by steam locomotives that go out of town in 2 directions.
Back in March, Sue McCullough and I went out early on a beautiful morning to paint this little caboose and got a pretty good start before the wind really kicked up. There is no protection out on the tracks and always a lot of dirt flying around. We were holding down our easels and chewing grit before finally baling out.
I really hate leaving the field with a piece unfinished and tell my students how important it is to do the center of attention (or the complex) stuff FIRST.
HA! Good advice I did not heed in this case.

So the "unfinished caboose" has been sitting around my studio -
until Cody, a 4 year old friend and train enthusiast came by recently - just because he saw it through the window. Cody is not a casual train fan; he knows his stuff, wanted to view all of my "train work", gave me a few pointers and suggested I finish the Caboose painting.
Thanks Cody!

Well, this piece, may or may not stand the test of time but it made one train enthusiast happy.

2 comments:

Sheri Gundry said...

I Love the Richness of South of Town and the deepness of the red against the rough black lines. I also really like the almost imposing image of the train in Commuter - though it might be still, it looks like it is moving with speed...

Chuck said...

For what it is worth, I think you are moving in exactly the right directions. Something wonderful is taking place. I am watching with great interest.

Chuck