Saturday, April 30, 2011

Desert Bridge at 6 x 6






















"BNSF 7318  Bridge"   SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
6" x 6" (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

The BNSF 7318 at the top of the El Cajon pass on a cold, foggy day on one of many small desert bridges that hop over culverts and access roads.

The square format was a challenge to keep the locomotive substantial due to it's horizontal shape without resorting to an end view. Placing it high in the composition atop the bridge helped achieve that. The painting is now about both the train and bridge; the train due to it's brightness against the subdued desert palette, the bridge due to it's central position within the composition.

The zig zag line of hill, concrete, and vegetation on the right feeding into the road and leading the eye back up to the bridge and locomotive.114

Click on image for larger view

2 comments:

  1. Love this series, David! Really nice work.

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  2. Thanks Don,
    I need to get back up to the desert again and see more trains, maybe when it's warmer this time. It's a great place, a different backdrop than I see at home here in the LA Harbor.

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