St Peters at Night – Original Painting
About the Image:
St Peter’s at night,
Evening colours pervade on this wet, November night. The same colours seen in daytime only they’re in deeper, darker hues. Shades of green, blue, red and brown draw you closer.
Contrast
It’s a painting of two halves, the crisp lines seen on the tram and street, contrasting with the abstract of the sky with random, stylised features, disjointed and sparse. For a dark painting. There’s a wealth of colour in this image, drowned out by the yellow tram and lights. Ignore them if you can, and lose yourself in that textured sky.
Not the flat dark sky, you so often see, but a realm of fluid motion. Melting colours transform as you move from yellow to orange, then red, through purple to blue, black and all the way back again. Little details shine briefly, before another grabs your attention.
Surrounding you is the bustle of the weekend, as shoppers head home and make way for the night revelers. It’s early, but the party mood is already beginning. Figures huddle in line, waiting to cross, as the tram glides past. Its distinctive horn blaring on repeat. At the stop beyond, more people wait for the tram. The scene is reflected imperfectly in the saturated ground. It’s been raining a while now, all day, in fact, with no signs of stopping.
Urban Mystery
Cities at night take on a magical feel, as the lights form lines, loops and all sorts of patterns. Here they reflect in puddles, disturbed by winds and moving traffic. Each light becomes a patterned patch of ripples, merging with others to overwhelm the ground. Magnifying the scene in myriad ripples and emphasising key features, like the tram.
Caught in time, the atmosphere of the night is ever present in bold colours. This night retains its brilliant colour and darkness, indelibly stamped on watercolour paper.
People are lost in the scene, the delivery boy and man in a hoodie almost invisible in the gloom. Although it’s not gloomy, it’s dazzling! The dark dresses itself for the evening, in style, and, again, I think of music. The Dark Dresses Lightly by Aurora. I think this might be how.
How the image is created: Masking fluid is painted onto watercolour paper to create an image. This is covered with a watercolour wash and covered with clingfilm. The picture is further developed using acrylic inks once the film is removed. The masking is removed after several layers are added and allowed to dry. Revealing the final picture.
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