Last Critique, McLoughlin Boulevard

The final critique session for my studio painting class is over. I took in three largish oils which seemed to contain many of the changes that happened because of the class. I now am using more paint (I dream of people chanting "MORE PAINT" at me), I have a better idea of the smooshiness of edges ("think Cezanne," my instructor kept muttering), and my style, while not changing much, is getting, I think, even more firm.

The three paintings, of course, come with their own backstory. But first the images:

McLoughlin Boulevard, Mid-Day. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches

McLoughlin Boulevard, Early Morning. Oil on board, 18 x 24.

McLoughlin Boulevard, Early Evening. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40.

The back story you've heard some of. McLoughlin is an old route, probably having its heyday in the 1950's. It was a classic strip, now boulevarded so that access to business off it are restricted and there are 3--4 lanes of traffic whizzing by. Many of the businesses, like the yellow ones (I showed photographs of them earlier), are deserted and derelict. Warehouses and mysterious company sheds abound, yet in the middle of them are nestled bits of residences.

At mid-day, McLoughlin is a folklore nightmare, inhumane yet packed with humanity's detritus. I haven't seen McLoughlin in early morning (I'm not an early riser) but I can imagine it in one of our grey dawns when not even a single car brightens its gloom. There is a kind of nightmare there, too, but a very different one than the mid-day frantic rushing about.

Finally, in the evening light, when the trees have leafed out a bit, areas around McLoughlin can look peaceful. The sun highlights various human dwellings and human colors and picks out trees to dwell on.

These paintings are all studio renditions of the same place, different light, different times of day, different moods. Even the armpit of Portland has its moments of charm. And I learned well the lessons of inner-southeast, particularly concerning electrical wires.

Check the continuation for other paintings of McLoughlin that I didn't take to the critique.

And oh, yes, the class was unanimous in telling me I should keep on painting. I didn't tell them that they couldn't stop me. --June

McLoughlin -- The Bog. oil on board, 12 x 16.

McLoughlin -- the Overpass. Oil on board, 12 x 16.
This is the only painting I did from below. The rectangular yellow building is off to the right rear of this scene; the red bridge is the pedestrian/bicycle overpass. Oil on board, 12 x 16".

Comments

[Del]

I agree, don't stop! I especially like the top picture with its flat colored roofs. Growing up in the same area I think the 'heyday' was the late 40s and early 50s. By the time I left in 1957 things had started to deteriorate. When I am in Portland I usually stay at the EconoLodge further out on McLaughlin as it is convenient to many of the places I need to go.