"Preserving a Time" Watercolor 20" X 10" by April M Rimpo

Preserving a Time © April M. Rimpo

Preserving a Time

Watercolor

20" X 10" painting

One of my favorite quotes about art is by Ivan Lissner, who said, "The secret of great art - to rob the moment of its impermanence." That was my goal with Preserving a Time. Sometimes Mother Nature puts on such a vibrant show that I must capture it. That was the case when the sky started to turn behind the beautiful clock tower. A gorgeous setting made better by the way the light enhanced the clouds with beautiful lavender and coral shades that picked up the color of the roof and shadows thrown by the trees. I amplified the sky and created a taller tree to cast a larger shadow on the building. I will remember this forever and hope my painting brings back wonderful memories for you of similar places painted by nature.

Enjoy my time-lapse video of me creating this painting below.

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Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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.

"Rush Hour" 36" X 24" Fluid Acrylic

Rush Hour by April M Rimpo

Rush Hour

Fluid Acrylic

36" X 24" gallery wrapped

$2075

April Rimpo is one of 63 artists selected for Maryland Federation of Art's

 American Landscapes Exhibition

by show juror Joann Moser. Joann Moser, Senior Curator Emerita, of Smithsonian American Art Museum was the Museum’s Senior Curator of Graphic  Arts from 1986- 2016.

Rush Hour will be on exhibit August 23rd through September 2, 2018 Reception and Awards: Sunday, September 9th, 3-5pm 

ABOUT THE PAINTING
Although the traffic was at a halt, the undulation of the rolling hills, making waves of city buildings appear before us, provides a different type of motion through the city. I can only hope the drivers, who are waiting to move, can see how lovely the city is laid out before them. Even the crane, that reveals the constant change in every city, seems to add to the rhythm of city life.

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

• Traffic Jam at the Concert - Concert goes waiting on the ticket takers
• Traffic Jam - Sometimes it doesn't take much
• 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 II - No spot at the port for the incoming boat
• 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.

"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.

"Fruit Vendors", 22" X 19" watercolor

Fruit Vendors by April M. Rimpo

Fruit Vendors is based on a photograph taken in Antigua, Guatemala. This painting is intended to capture part of everyday life in Guatemala.  It was morning and these women were setting up their stand for the day.  They were located near a church which was visited by tourists and locals and both appeared to be their clientele. In the background were buildings and people who were at a level above the vendors, that I felt would detract from the vendors and their fruit.

Fruit Vendors

Watercolor

22" X 19" image

28" X 25" brushed silver frame

Available on my website

I started with a design that had very little in the background, but as the painting developed I decided I needed to have more to balance with the front of the painting. My first revision was to add some plants to the background on the left side.  I placed them all at about the same height because I thought the umbrella should be the only item that went to the top of the painting.  However as the painting progressed I felt the woman on the right was off by herself with only a few items of fruit in front of her. There was a large empty gap between the fruit and her that went up to the umbrella.  So I decided to add a few plants on her side of the painting.  This proved to be not enough.  The top still felt quite empty and really needed something dark in the upper left quadrant of the painting.

I decided to research plants native to Guatemala.  I found one called “Heliconia Wagneriana” that had dark stems, long leaves, and great blossoms that had the same reddish orange I used in several other place within the painting.  These plants grow from 5 to 15 feet tall, so they were a good candidate to fill the space.  I found a few different photographs of this plant then drew it to fill in the space that I thought would balance the design. I think the addition of this plant did the trick.  What do you think?  I'd love to hear from you. 

To see other work by April visit her website at http://www.rimpo.org/april/  where you can shop for card or prints.

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.
 

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.

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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.