“Carrollton Depot” oil on birch panel
The first thing I do when seeking painting material in a new, or familiar, location is head straight for the alleys behind the buildings or the train tracks. That’s where the best material always hides! If I see a strong light and shadow pattern, I’m hooked. I pass the Bradley St. Depot in Carrollton almost daily, and this time the perfect shadows fell while a train happened to be parked half in them.
One day, after finishing a painting, I had a good bit of paint left on my palette and did not want to waste it. I had about an hour before the school bus would pull up, and challenged myself to paint the Depot with what was left on the palette, paper towels, and a palette knife.