"Smart Car Choices", 34" x 34" acrylic and watercolor on gallery wrapped paper

Smart Car Choices by April M Rimpo

Smart Car Choices

acrylic and watercolor

34" X 34" varnished gallery wrapped paper
$2550

Available for Purchase

I started this painting just because I enjoy aerial views of cities and felt the cars and vans presented an interested design opportunity.  It wasn't until I got part way into the painting that I felt the painting was more than just an interesting aerial view.  One of the vehicles is of the "smart car" ilk. When I see these small cars on the road I am always amazed at how tiny they are.  They make me grin and wonder if they might fit in better on a bumper car track rather than competing with trucks and SUVs on the road.

The more I thought about the various vehicles in the painting, the more I thought the painting should be about people’s travel choices.  Here we have two large vans, much larger than the “smart car”, that might provide driving and parking issues in a large city. There are also two cars, one a bright red sports car, the other a white sedan, perhaps a rental car.  Then there is the taxi cab where you can just let the other guy drive.  And don’t forget the bike chained to the street sign post.  Lastly, there is the person walking. There are many choices for people with different preferences

Do you find your location drastically affects this choice?  I have always loved sports cars, but alas, I succumbed to a sedan when my son was in high school so we had room for the whole family.  Don’t get me wrong, I now love that car, but at times I miss my sports car.  When in the big city I general prefer walking or taxi if going a long difference. What would be your preference?

Other transportation paintings:

• More Beautiful with Age
• Aerial Bikes I
• Aerial Bikes II
• Delivery Trike
• Missing You
• Streetcar
• Department Store

Interested in a print? Prints are available on watercolor paper or on a gallery wrapped canvas. Check my print shop.

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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.

"Aerial Bikes II", 13.5" X 22" gallery wrapped acrylic & watercolor

Aerial Bikes II by April M Rimpo

Aerial Bikes II

acrylic and watercolor

13.5" X 22" varnished gallery wrapped paper*

SOLD

PRINTS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE

More inspiration from aerial photographs I took in New York City resulted in Aerial Bikes II.  I am really happy with the clean lines I achieved in this painting. I decided to do this as a gallery wrapped painting so the image doesn't have to be constrained by a frame.  Since gallery wrapped paintings are varnished there is no need to put the painting under glass. The gallery wrapped edge eliminates any visible staples.

Here is a little on my process for this painting. Because this is a small, non-standard sized painting I decided to use an old frame as the stretcher bar. No need to buy special stretcher bars when other materials are available. The frame is cut to 13.5” X 22”, the final size of the painting.  I varnish the frame, as I would varnish a stretcher bar, and then stretch the paper over this frame. I put the drawing on the paper before wrapping it on the frame. A 1.5” boarder was left around the image which wraps around the frame. Normally I stretch the paper first so I don’t have to worry about the alignment being perfectly square on the frame, but since this is a small painting I believed I could control the stretch.  This approach worked out well.  I do like to experiment with different methods to allow me more flexibility in my work.

First step prior to stretching

While preparing the frame for stretching I went ahead and used very watered down fluid acrylic to splatter the paper, as shown at right. The splatter is an initial textural layer for the building and sidewalk.  A lesser amount of splatter is on the umbrella to unify the painting.   

Four colors of acrylic were used alone and in combination for the splatters: Cerulean Blue, Paynes Gray, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and Permanent Alizarin Crimson.  These same colors were used throughout the painting.  I used some granular watercolor pigments (Daniel Smith Buff Titanium and Olive Green) in the walk and in the bushes.

* Framing not required on gallery wrapped paintings
** Contact April regarding shipping outside the United States

Bicycle Series - A new view in the mix

Aerial Bikes I, watercolor by April M Rimpo

Aerial Bikes I

watercolor

12" X 23.5 image

$650

Available for Purchase Here

When in a large city tall buildings abound.  This also means views from above are just waiting to be captured.  Aerial Bikes I does just that.  I've done several paintings of cycles, but these have all been “ground level” views of the side of the bicycles.  After all this is the most recognizable view and one of the “rules” is to make sure the elements in your art are recognizable.  Although safe from a recognition perspective, it is sometimes fun to take a different look at common things.  That is what I did in Aerial Bikes I.

Looking at a bike from the 12^th floor of a hotel eliminates the round spoked wheels. Now the handle bars become the most recognizable element and, in this case, the basket on one of the bikes. I chose a shot I took when a person was walking past the bikes.  By introducing the figure I believe the fact you are looking from above becomes clear.  Now when you look back at the two bicycles I hope you begin to understand what they are.  A glint of light from the wheels attracts the eye and makes you linger a bit longer until all of a sudden you realize “bikes!”  

 

Stay tuned for more aerial views in the future.

To see available prints check my store.

Other bicycle paintings by April can be seen in April's blog posts:

• "Delivery Trike" and "Ready to Roll"
• "Missing You"
• Art after retirement - "Department Store"

Images of these paintings are shown below.

 

   

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.