Solitude

Oil on Canvas Board 16 in x 24 in / 40 cm x 60 cm

I was watching a film set in Chicago where one of the heroes of the story was living in a bedsit beneath the tracks of an overground railway. It was night and the lights from the tiny room shone out into the darkness. I thought this would make for an interesting painting but wanted to change the subject matter.

I love the shapes and machinery and haphazard nature of Fairgrounds, so I substituted the railway for a rollercoaster.

Finally, for the background, I wanted to portray a desolate metropolis stretching back into the gloomy night. It is dead and cold yet beautiful in its way, with flames of light flickering from lantern towers.