"Trapped" 36" X 36" fluid acrylic & watercolor

Trapped by April M Rimpo

Trapped

fluid acrylic & watercolor mounted on

36" x 36" X 2.5" deep cradle Cherry Wood

$3110

Available through April's Website

Trapped was born "in my list of must do paintings" when leaving New York City through the Holland Tunnel a couple years ago.  My husband was driving and I was delighted by the reflections of lights in the ceiling and walls of the tunnel. Now you might be wondering, if this was a happy moment enjoying the lights, then why is the titled Trapped?  Well, although the initial moment when entering the tunnel was a happy one, my reaction once I get inside tunnels that are under bodies of water is angst.  I really dislike tunnels under water.  Maybe there have been too many movies about water flooding these kinds of tunnels that works on me.  Generally in the movies this occurs after some bad guy sets off an explosive (not a natural disaster), but none the less these movies have gotten into my psyche.

When invited by the Columbia Art Center to participate in an exhibit titled "Things that Scare Me" I thought of the pictures I had taken and decided it was time to do my Holland Tunnel painting.  Part of me says I shouldn't call this painting Trapped since it was the beauty of the reflections that really made me want to paint this.  While getting ready to paint this I decided to emphasize the dark "hole" at the end of the tunnel, but wanted to contrast it with the beautiful subtle colors in the concrete and tunnel walls. The calming colors surrounding the dark hole make me smile when I look at the painting.  Maybe this painting will end up being therapeutic and help me get over this phobia.  

Other urban paintings by April include:

• Smart Car Choices
• Freight Yard

Contact April here

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Rimpo 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

Madison Square Fountain, 9.5" X 22" watercolor

Madison Square Fountain by April M. Rimpo

I always enjoy depicting scenes of everyday life.  Madison Square Fountain captures mid-day in Madison Square Park, New York, NY.  Lots of people were out walking; some were enjoying the sun, some enjoying the garden and fountain, while others gathered in the shade to talk.  My goal was to capture the essence of city life in Madison Square Fountain.  I enjoyed having spots of light hitting some of the people in the shade so I could have variations in the intensity of the shadows.  I felt this provided movement and life to the painting, truly capturing a fleeting moment in time.

Madison Square Fountain

watercolor

9.5" X 22" image

15.5" X 28" brushed silver frame

$615 when shipped within the United States*

Original painting

framed $615.00 USD

The combination of bright sunny spot and areas in the shadows of unseen trees allowed me to have the intense colors of flowers and the saturated colors of shadows.  Shadows on planters and the fountain were started with bold greens and blues to establish a base saturated with color.  I gradually added in more blue washes and lastly some dark neutral gray washes to increase the depth of the shadows.  By starting with intense colors these areas feel lively.

I used a similar approach on some of the people in the foreground.  For example, you can see red and blue glowing through the shadows on the clothes of the woman at the center..  Other foreground people toward the edges of the painting were done primarily in grays to help keep the interest toward the center of the painting.

I hope my handling of this scene captures this moment in time and makes you feel like you are there in the city.

* Contact April regarding shipping outside the United States. 
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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.