“Emerald City” – 2017 – 48″ x 48″ – Water Color on Paper
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Emerald City is a 4 foot by 4 foot painting created with layers and layers of water color and ink on paper, mounted to a board and finished with a wax varnish.
I was inspired by the enormous growth in Denver, Colorado when living there. There were construction cranes everywhere and new buildings erupting overnight. Some of these buildings are depicted in the painting, along with Cherry Creek and the bridge that crosses it.
Other aspects of the painting are imaginary. The city looks dense with roads all blocked by what could be train cars or shipping containers. The landscape in the foreground is muted and almost looks like it could be a wound. Cranes swerve impossibly overhead. The mountains in the background appear to be on fire and the skies are stormy.
Emerald City depicts the fragility of our society. We are guests in a world of incredible nature that we often take for granted in our efforts to build endlessly on top of it.