CHANGE AND SAMENESS – TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
Some loves never die, even when the object of desire is a
model train. Ever since Santa gave me a Lionel train set when I was 9, I have
been fascinated with model trains. Over the years I’ve started several layouts,
each one far too elaborate for me to complete. I came close when we lived on
the farm in Maryland, but that ended when we to moved to Paducah 19 years ago. Over the years I flirted with the idea of building a small layyout in the studio but
dismissed the idea as foolish. Then Covid arrived - and everything changed. It was not a burden being sequestered at home since I work in
a studio in our home. Life continued as usual, or so I thought. until the sudden decision to build that layout.
I began construction of my layout in March, transforming half of the gallery into a train room/workshop, and totally disrupting the studio, and I have never been happier. I take some time to work on several commissions in progress, and find that far from being a chore, painting is fun once again. I’m still painting buildings and barns, but with a new perspective, and dimension.
There is an art to model railroading, as there is in any enterprise, and it is this art that has always attracted me. The basic element in all my paintings has been the intent to create a sense of place for the viewer, despite the 2-dimensional limitation. Model railroading provides that 3rd dimension to create a place of my own design employing the same fundamentals of painting – composition, color, light, and design. In essence I am constructing a 14-foot diorama in the gallery.
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