"Tenement" 14" X 29" watercolor

Tenement by April M Rimpo

Tenement

watercolor

14" X 29" image

20" X 35" brushed silver frame

$975 within the United States*

Available in Touchstone Gallery's Online Store

In Tenement I played with darks and lights making what was shadow areas in my photograph light and bright areas dark.  I call this an "inverse" painting. I also played with colors using vibrant colors in the now lit areas of the brick wall and rich, dark blues and purples for the now dark areas.  The fire-escape stairs and railings were done in light neutral colors to separate them from the wall. When I compare this with the original photograph I feel looking at this painting is much more exciting.  See my source photo below.

At left is the Analog color scheme I selected for the painting. The color charts from Color Scheme Designer provide various strengths of each color and some blends of the colors.  I use two blues, burnt orange, and a purple to create this painting, so I stayed fairly true to the plan, shifting the rose color more to the purple end of the spectrum and adding some a lighter blue.

My source photo

I think my inverse approach has led to interesting paintings that is fun for the viewer to take in and figure out.  One of my other paintings done using the same approach is described in my blog post Fire Escape.

I'd love to hear whether you find this approach draws you into the painting or if something closer to the source photo would have been closer to what you like.  

* Contact April regarding purchase outside the United States

A Better View 16" X 20 " Fluid Acrylic

A Better View by April M Rimpo

A Better View

Fluid Acrylic

16" X 20"

Available for Purchase - learn more

While in New Orleans for the Jazz Fest we watched the opening parade. We arrived early so we could find a good spot to watch. When we first arrived only a few people were there ahead of us. Some of the parade participants were still getting ready and walking toward the beginning of the parade route.  

It didn't take long before the crowds began to gather and people began jockeying for a good spot the see.  The parade ran down Bourbon Street before turning toward Jackson Square. Trucks were there delivering food and alcohol for the coming day so people kept changing their location worried the trucks would not leave before the parade started.  

I noticed that as people crossed and the light coming down Ursuline Street hit them they would light up. I immediately started to take photos in hopes of capturing the flashes of light as they glanced across their shoulders and long shadows stretched out in front of them. 

I had only been to New Orleans once before for one day, so this was like a first visit for me. We missed the Tutu Parade the day before, but the street was still filled with Tutus in shop windows, balloons were out, and of course beads from small to enormous were hanging from balconies, stores, and even electric wires along the streets.  

So much to take in, you know I just had to paint it. It's not surprising that this was one of the first few paintings of New Orleans that I created. And yes, there will certainly be more.

Click here to Contact April

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

"Traffic Jam II" 12" X 20" acrylic

Traffic Jam II by April M Rimpo

Traffic Jam II
Acrylic
12" X 20" X 1.5" deep gallery wrapped*
$600

Traffic Jam II is a second nod to Flam, Norway, where the ferry boats take travelers from near and far on a beautiful trip through a fjord. This tiny town must survive on tourists since the primary traffic we saw was the ships waiting to take us on a wonderful adventure. What a beautiful place.

The four houses you see along the water's edge are typical of what we saw in Norway. Red houses nestled on green covered mountains, with a few neighbors who chose the second favorite color, golden yellow.

The mountainside was truly the bright yellow green of Spring. I decided to feature that color by using a tertiary triad of color that included leaf green, cobalt aqua, and mauve. The mauve is a mixture of Permanent Alizarin and Phthalo Blue. I started the distant trees using Mat Acrylic Medium Gel to build up some textures then applied several variations of color from the triad to the medium while it was still partially wet.  Once dry, I used fluid acrylics for the balance of the painting, working back over the thicker background to create soft color variations in the shadowed side of the mountain.

I find that this combination of soft acrylic with fluid acrylics creates great depth to a painting, making it fun to visually explore.

* The image is painted around the edge of the canvas, so no frame is required.

You can see more "Traffic Jam" paintings at these links:

• Traffic Jam at the Concert - Concert goes waiting on the ticket takers
• Rush Hour - Enjoy the view when trying to get home
• Traffic Jam III - Cyclists backed up at a crossing
• Full to the Limit - An overloaded canal
• Thoroughfare - Amsterdam: More bikes and trikes than you can believe
• Traffic Jam - Sometimes it doesn't take much
• Country Tour - Cars waiting on a bike race
• Trapped - Traffic congestion in a tunnel

Click here to Contact April

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.