"Chinatown Gateway" 16" X 20" fluid acrylic

Chinatown Gateway by April M Rimpo

Chinatown Gateway

Fluid Acrylic

16" X 20"

Mounted on 2" deep wood cradle
$800

Available for purchase here

I just love the structure and colors of these gateways that you see when entering Chinatown in cities across the United States. The Chinese term for these are paifang, which refers to a traditional style of a Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure.  You can see this multi-tiered structure in buildings as well as the gates into regions of ancient Chinese cities. 

I am fascinated by this gateway in DC and have taken photographs of it nearly every time I travel to this area of the city. It is difficult to get a good angle on the beautiful arch, but I persisted until I had enough images to understand the architecture and create this image.  

I wanted to emphasize not only the great shapes but also the delicious color combination of orange and teal that runs through this structure.  The nearby Calvary Baptist Church with its dark burnt orange exterior allowed me to provide a beautiful dark foil, which I chose to push toward a dark purple/orange tone. I chose a double complementary color scheme: orange/teal with yellow/purple to create this dynamic tribute to the beautiful traditional Chinatown gate.

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.

"Riverwalk Footbridge" 14" X 11" fluid acrylic

Riverwalk Footbridge by April M Rimpo

Riverwalk Footbridge

14" X 11" Fluid Acrylic

in a brushed silver frame

$375

SOLD 

I think reflections in water are among the most beautiful sights in the world, but they can be very tricky to paint. Since I work in watermedia (watercolor and fluid acrylic) I've found layering the colors gradually from the lightest to darkest works best for me.  Before I start to paint I do use a small amount of masking fluid to protect just a few white spots that I may retain as white at the end or kiss with a spot of pale color to give them a slight tint.

Then it's a matter of paying attention to what is being reflected and making sure the reflected color is a bit darker than the real object. I find moving water the most fascinating to paint because of the great swirls and lines created by the current, causing the reflections to be just a hint of what is being reflected.

I chose a double complementary palette for this painting. Complements are across from each other on the color wheel and when combined can end up with lovely neutral colors, but when applied in adjacent to each other they create wonderful tension in the painting, really drawing your eye to those areas. Keeping them vibrant and not blending to become a neutral color can be challenging too. Fluid acrylic makes it a little easier to keep the colors vibrant.

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.

"A Clutter of Kayaks" a 20" X 36" varnished gallery wrapped paper

A Clutter of Kayaks by April M Rimpo

While out painting one afternoon I watched a pair of men unload kayaks from their vehicles and place them along the edge of the estuary. There were a dozen kayaks by the time they were done, then gradually more people began to arrive. They all dressed in life vests, got into the kayaks, and headed out for what appeared to be a lesson. I don't know how long they stayed out on the water because they had not returned before I finished painting for the day. It was clear they were all having a great time.

These kind of moments, when people are out enjoying their environment, always speak to me.  After selecting sections from a variety of my photos from that day, I composed this painting, included some of the sailboats in the distance that were also on the water.  Then I decided on a color scheme I felt would feature the kayaks while also making them at home in their surroundings. 

A Clutter of Kayaks

20" X 36" fluid acrylic on

Gallery Wrapped and Varnished Paper

$1730

Using a lot of gray to emphasize the stillness of the water also helped communicate the distance between the kayaks and the bridge.  This was an unexpected result, but one that might be helpful to me in future paintings.  

This painting is done in fluid acrylic on watercolor paper, then gallery wrapped around a 1.75" stretcher, and varnished to provide UV protection and to seal the paper from its surroundings.  Because the paint wraps around the edge of the stretcher bars it can be hung without a frame, if desired.

"Ponte Vecchio" watercolor 10.5” X 22”

Ponte Vecchio by April M. Rimpo

In 1994 we took a trip to Europe, stopping in many cities in Italy.  One of my favorite cities was Florence, where we got to see Michelangelo’s David at Accademia Gallery.  Shortly after visiting the gallery we were delighted to see Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence.  With a little research I learned the Old Bridge at this location was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence until 1218.  The current bridge, the subject of my painting, was rebuilt after a flood in 1345.  During its history is has housed many different types of shops but now is dedicated to goldsmith and jeweler shops.  What a wonderful day.

Ponte Vecchio

watercolor

10.5" X 22" watercolor

16" X 28" brushed silver frame

$700 within the United States *

Original SOLD at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
info@horsespiritartsgallery.com 

410-461-3505  

Prints Available Here

When I took the photograph in 1994 I thought I would someday paint the scene.  All the little shops hanging off the bridge fascinate me.  Each was a little different, built individually so they don't quite align even though their design is similar.  19 years later Ponte Vecchio has finally come back to life for me in my painting.  One of my favorite quotes, which I first heard last year from Frank Web, is one by John Burke who said,

“Time spent in a painting is very much like going there again on vacation. And when the painting is done, I have seen every detail and nuance so thoroughly, that a glance at the completed work is sufficient for a short visit.”

I feel this way about many of my paintings, but somehow this is especially true of this one.  Perhaps because this trip was my first to Europe and because this view of the shops on the bridge was something I had never seen before.  When searching the Internet to learn more I did an image search using the photograph I had taken and found many people had taken almost the exact same shot, so I hope this scene will bring back memories of others’ vacations as well.

For other European landscapes by April follow these links.

• Morning in Provence
• Vineyard Life
• Venice III

* Contact April regarding purchase outside the United States

To see prints of April's paintings check her store.If you want a print of a painting that you don't see in the store ask me; I don't have all prints on display.