Tag: urban landscape

KERBEY LANE CENTRAL: An Austin Art Experience

KERBEY LANE CENTRAL | 9 x 12” | Oil on canvas board

KERBEY LANE CENTRAL is a nod to the iconic venue that hosted my most recent solo show. I had the privilege to hang 30+ pieces at Kerbey Lane on Kerbey Lane, which has been a destination for diner lovers across the country for decades. In fact, when I first moved to Austin more than 30 years ago, I lived on Kerbey Lane just 3 blocks down from the restaurant. Many a hangover was remedied by their coffee, pancakes and queso. 

Back in the day, the Kerbey Lane sign was a 3D coffee cup – today it’s still a cofffee cup but just flat and a little less intriguing. I’m not sure what happened to the original sign, but I found an old photo as a reference to recreate it as the focal point in this piece. 

I used a palette knife to do the sign, adding texture and more detail, whereas the rest of the painting is brushwork. For those of you who haven’t had the fortune to visit this location, it’s inside an old house, actually two houses that are connected. The other businesses along this street are also converted homes, so that’s why the backdrop looks like a neighborhood… cuz it is. 

For the compositional geeks out there, I used the angles of the metal sign post, the walkway, and the roof lines to direct the viewer to the focal point. While the slightly aerial viewing angle is clearly not something you’d get standing in front of the restaurant, it was infinitely more interesting than anything I managed to come up with at street level. 

Thanks again Kerbey Lane for hosting me and my wide ranging artistic subjects! I look forward to another show in the near future. 

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #atxartist #atxlife #paintings  #kerbeylanecafe #coffee #eateraustin #austinbrunch #pancakes #paintingsandpancakes #austinliving #austinevents #iconic #austin #texmex

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Acorn Street, Boston

ACORN STREET progress
ACORN STREET | 12×9 | Oil on Art Board

As promised, here is the finished work (maybe) of the ACORN STREET study. I say “maybe” because I might opt to add people and give it more activity, but I also like the calm, quiet morning vibe this gives off. I’m guessing the early mornings are the favorite time for the residents of this street as the tourist throngs are still in their AirBnBs second guessing why they hadn’t opted for a hotel with an in-room coffee machine and room service.

I wanted to ensure value contrasts and a loose painting style were key elements of this piece. The flag and sunlit building opposite were intended to draw the viewer down the street, which wasn’t difficult to do as this composition kinda designed itself. The big challenge since the original progress post was adjusting the light from the photo reference so that it realistically “hit” the flag, which meant letting it sneak up the end of the street more than was originally planned. 

Lastly, the cobblestones were a last minute addition. I was trying to avoid anything too detailed in an effort to keep the painterly feel, but anyone who’s been on this street knows the cobblestones are integral to the charm. I need to refine my technique in future work, but there are a lot of cobblestone streets that I’d love to paint in the future! 

#acornstreet #boston ​#​cobblestones #austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #atxartist #atxlife ​#cambridge #flag #unitedstates #oilpainting #fineart #atx

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