From the Artist: The nickname for Seattle, WA is "The Emerald City." This painting is based on a picture I took from the Kingston-Seattle Ferry. As the ferry approaches the city, the unique skyline takes shape and, on a clear day (no rain!), Mt Rainer can be seen off in the distance. Although the environment of Seattle is breath taking with the blue sky, water and surrounding mountains, it's still a city with city problems. I tried to capture the hustle and bustle of the city with the bright colors with the anonymity of city life with the colors mixed together.
From the Painting Guide: I think the bright colors give the city a feel of being a vibrant place. I like the degree of abstraction -- there's enough information for me to recognize it as a city skyline but not so much I take it all in at one glance, I have to pause to look and interpret. The painterly style enhances this.
I do wonder, however, whether there's too much sky. If it were my painting, I'd be inclined to crop a lot of it off (like this), so the buildings dominated the composition more. And probably also add a bit more foreground to balance the composition.
From the Painting Guide: I think the bright colors give the city a feel of being a vibrant place. I like the degree of abstraction -- there's enough information for me to recognize it as a city skyline but not so much I take it all in at one glance, I have to pause to look and interpret. The painterly style enhances this.
I do wonder, however, whether there's too much sky. If it were my painting, I'd be inclined to crop a lot of it off (like this), so the buildings dominated the composition more. And probably also add a bit more foreground to balance the composition.