Kinzie St. Train Bridge

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kinzie-bridge-pencil-blog

I'm behind in posting new work, but here is a bridge in the center of downtown Chicago which I finally figured out I should paint. It's easily accessible and slowly deteriorating. nI usually like to view things close up for more drama, so I stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up. It took 6 photos sown together to fit the whole bridge in. The reference photo I attached is one of the 6, along with my 8 hour pencil drawing.

Engine 4436 in Progress

I don't know how it will end up, but I start by trying to full in all the darker areas to separate light from dark. Otherwise, the drawing looks like a mess. I hope I'm half way.

Quincy Dredge details

I want to add one more detail from my dredge painting. I've been trying to create more texture to approximate the roughness of rust. These are scanned pieces, and I find them interesting on their own. It's done with layers of paint and dripped/sprayed masking fluid.

Quincy Dredge

Quincy Dredge No.2 was used for reclaiming copper tailings in Torch lake near Houghton, MI. It sank over 40 years ago, but sits just off the road like it sank yesterday. In winter you can easily wander through it.

Centennial Mine #3

I was dismayed to find my favorite copper mine in ruins on New Year's day. Historical Artifacts in the Keweenaw Peninsula are disappearing fast.

Osceola Copper Mine

This is one of the newer mines left standing on the Keweenaw peninsula. I used the existing pile of rusty old parts, but moved them around and turned the building so it was looking at us.

Another Train

This is a train in front of the Ogden, Utah train station. It's in great shape, but I felt like making it look run down, rusty, and very cluttered. I made two changes in the train for compositional reasons, and I bet train enthusiasts would find them right away.

No.3 shaft house stairs

My watercolor, No.3 shaft house stairs, has been accepted into the Transparent Watercolor Society Annual national show! I usually throw in some opaque color and computer work to get the composition I want, but this one is pure transparent watercolor. The composition depicts my inner conflict of wanting to see what’s inside, and acting like an adult who doesn’t injure himself climbing an obviously dangerous structure.     Copper mining website

Century Mine No.3

Century Mine No.3 Hoist House I have been fascinated by the copper mines up in The Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, and this is my favorite one because it's the only one that's mostly wood. I love the exploded, deteriorated nature of it, including the fact that it's sitting quietly along a side road with no fences or signs. I mirrored the Hoist House tower on either side, because I love the repetition of it. I also enjoyed creating depth inside the big opening for the mine car.