Still Wet Portland

I just finished this 11 x 14 painting of the Portland Tribune building. It is the back of the building and It is the view that I see from the parking garage where I park my motorcycle. I like the building massing and the way the morning light hits the walls.

I am trying to get more color variation in larger planes in the scene. As I study other painters work it is clear to me that successful paintings pull more and more color out of both bright and dark areas, which can make a simple scene much more dynamic. A photo of the subject may not even reveal these colors and the need to be interpolated or fabricated. Either way it makes for a much more interesting piece.

Exaggeration of color is very important in the city scenes, which can tend to be more grey in reality.

The mind will perceive the colors when one is viewing the subject in person, which is the benefit of on site work. When working from photos, which I am forced to do, one must remember the subtle colors and or fabricate them.