"Amalfi Coast Evening", 14x11, oil on linen
Tourists are walking home from a late afternoon or early evening of shopping for treasures.... The air is fragrant with jasmine and other seductive scents which waft through the air- purloined from shops laden with delicacies and exotica that tickle all the senses. And as the shop -weary travelers legs beg for mercy, the glittering lights of the merchants still beacon in the early evening light to seduce and betray the limbs and pocketbooks of the most vulnerable. To shop some more? Or call it a day in this gorgeous ancient town overlooking the Amalfi Coast and the Gulf of Salerno.
What would you do?
This painting was a challenge for me. I had never painted a nocturne (Night scene) before and there are many considerations to think about which differ from painting a daytime scene. The normal rules tend to reverse- the shadows becomes warmer from the influences of electric lighting and the light temperature of the air becomes cooler in the absence of the sun.
The architecture of the ancient arch was especially challenging, and I'll probably go back into the painting and add some glazes when it is dry.
Overall, I was happy with this first nocturne and will probably attempt some more.
