Inspiration for Fosko’s

The narrative painting Fosko’s got underway during a plein air event. In one of the afternoon sessions, I parked downtown to paint a storefront I had spotted earlier. The building stood out because of its vintage lime sherbet color. After the event wrapped up, I brought the painting back to the studio to refine it. But as I worked, I felt the piece warranted a deeper storyline. That color, whether rational or not, reminded me of the 30’s and 40’s: especially the soda shops. I can just imagine this dapper gentlemen doing one final self-assessment before walking in to meet his special lady. Or perhaps straightening his jacket after seeing her safely off in a cab. These sorts of vintage-feeling scenes make me long for a bygone era, when (it seems) things were simpler.

Back to Modern Times…

The actual site of this café is Gadsden, Alabama, where I participated in the Southern Plein Air Invitational. However, except for that particular lime color, even locals would probably take a minute to recognize the place! I heavily modified the original scene in order to convey the look and feel I desired. Generally with my work, I simply want to capture a place or scene as it appears in reality. On this occasion, however, I wanted the piece to contain more narrative. It’s left to the viewer’s imagination to fill in the storyline!