The Metrolink Train comes to rest at night near Victoria Street and the 101 Freeway, in Ventura. When I came upon this scene I saw the two lights on in the cab of the engine, making the train look like a beast with demon eyes. Remembering back to the old Batman TV show and the way the cinematographer tilted the camera, I experimented with this technique in order to add that dynamic to the composition.
During the process of the painting some man came up on me from behind and started yelling at me, saying I was trespassing (I was in a parking lot right off the frontage road). I looked around me, and saw no fence or barrier/signs. It was 11:30 pm and I was half way through the painting, so rather than argue with the man, I calmly gathered my easel and painting gear; I lifted it up and moved it from the edge of the parking lot where I was sitting, on to the dirt, nearer the tracks, (a distance of about six feet).
Some times it's good to be flexible, like bamboo.
This painting was included in my Master's Thesis Exhibition. at Cal State Univ., Northridge.
Sleeping Metrolink
22x28 oil/canvas
Painting Status: Available for Purchase through James Main Fine Art, Santa Barbara, California. (805)637-8632