"Ready to Roll", 22" X 22" and "Delivery Trike", 19.5" X 27.5"

Delivery Trike by April M. Rimpo

Delivery Trike

watercolor
19.5" X 27.5" image
27" X 35" brushed silver framed
$1250

On Exhibit at Laurel Art Guild's 48th Annual Open Juried Exhibition from
March 10 - 31. The Opening Reception will be held March 12, from 2 - 4 PM.

Delivery Trike is part of my bicycle series, although in this case an adult size tricycle.  I had seen this trike at a park at least 15 years ago and immediately thought there would someday be a painting. I’m not sure if it is something about the geometric contrast between the wheels and spokes with the overgrown plants behind the trike, or the contrast with the bright linear rectangles of the crates on the back platform.  Regardless of the original attraction I think it is both of these characteristics that continued to summon me to the original photograph. 

I remember being amused by the thought of a large delivery tricycle and thought others would equally be amused.  It felt like a throw-back to another era and  the overgrown plants behind the trike told me it had not been used for a long time.  It now felt more like a decoration, but I believe at one time it was a very useful vehicle. I hope my rendition will make people think back to earlier times when our ingenuity brought about vehicles like this to help us do our work and the elegance of such solutions.

Other bicycle paintings can be seen in these blog posts:

• Missing You
• Department Store

Prints are available in my online shop.

One other bicycle painting that I have not described in a blog is shown below.  Ready to Roll was a playful piece where geometric squares and triangles were played against the circular wheels of the bike and curve of the handle bars.

Ready to Roll by April M. Rimpo

 

Ready to Roll

watercolor and gouache

22" X 22" image

28" X 28" brushed silver frame

$995

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.

Solo Exhibit at Glenview Mansion: Modes of Transportation

A Clutter of  Kayaks by April M Rimpo

I am delighted that my solo exhibit at Glenview Mansion is almost here. It opens on August 2nd, with a reception from 1:30 - 3:30PM. The theme of my exhibit is "Modes of Transportation."  You will find paintings of cars, trains, ships, sailboats, kayaks, dugout boats, motorcycles, bicycles, tricycles, and streetcars; something for everyone. I've been fascinated with painting urban and street scenes for some time and many, but not all, of these paintings fall in that category. A Clutter of Kayaks is a serene painting of several kayakers spending the day on the water. There is also a look at the fate of a car, abandoned by its owner in a field, in More Beautiful with Age. Shipping Port and Freight Yard are two very different views at how we transport goods in and around the United States.

Shipping Port by April M Rimpo

I've become quite hooked on painting cyclists, so you'll see quite a few bicycle paintings in the exhibit. Morning Commute celebrates a group of daily cyclists who ride regardless of weather.  Movement II features a woman who rode in the bicycle race that is routed through our town twice a year.

Movement II by April M Rimpo

I admire people who ride bicycles. I've always been more than a little bit uncoordinated, to the point that, when I turn my head to look for cars, my bike drifts in the direction I look.  It's a problem I have not been able to break, so I admit I don't ride my bike anymore.  The narrow streets in the area where I live feel too dangerous given my "skills." I have, however, learned about the growth of bike trails across America that give me hope that I will be able to ride again. The American League of Bicyclists is a great organization that I have been following recently.  Maybe they will inspire me to get back on the saddle.

The paintings shown here are just a few that you will find in this exhibit. I hope to see you there. The photograph of me with my new custom Custom Candy Bar wrappers is one more reason to attend the reception.  I'll have some of these candy bars with me, so come check out the exhibit.  Someone suggested I make these for each art event I participate with different images of my art;  I thought it was an interesting idea. Let me know if you would collect them.

Hershey Bars with Custom Candy Label of April
with Freight Yard.  Wrapper from www.candywrapperstore.com 

Three other artists also have exhibits at Glenview this month.  They are: Shelley Marie "Naturally Unnatural" mixed media, Caroly Johnson "Illuminations" photography, and Kalin and Thweatt paintings and sculpture. 

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.