Street Scenes. Over the years I’ve painted hundreds of them. I love painting street scenes for a variety of reasons, the color, detail, and creativity are just the surface reasons. I think the primary reason is that it speaks to the voyeur in us all. When I was very young, my dad would take us out for a Sunday drive. For me this was very exciting. I loved looking at the houses and establishments along the way. Looking into windows and seeing people going about their lives gave me a sense of wonderment. Who are they? What do they do when they’re not where they are now? Are they like me or different than me? Most of all, I loved seeing the warm glow of a lamp behind window curtains and the hustle bustle of movement behind a shop window along with the often-creative menu boards in front of cafes telling you what’s on special today.
When I paint street scenes today, I try to give the viewer that same sense of intrigue. Something in a window that gives you a sense of who lives there; Someone walking along the street who appears to have something heavy on their mind. Or simply people in a shop window buying whatever!
I love the colorful posters and signs in windows and on the sides of buildings. The cracks from age and wear, the peeling paint and even the graffiti all give texture and context to a piece. I also love that all of my menu boards are legible and can be easily read when you look closely. All signs of life and living.
I have painted street scenes in several different languages, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Hebrew. I thoroughly enjoy doing the research so that all of my signage is accurate and believable.
Today many of my favorite street scenes paintings can be seen on jigsaw puzzles that are sold all over the world. Give me a Google and take a look!