Painting #1 - Bus 2182

48" x 36"

I have finally completed the first painting in my series of Brill Trolley buses. This painting took much longer than I was expecting because of all the reflections and peeling paint. It was a challenge to capture the decay of the buses in paint.

My starting goal was to complete a painting in the series every two weeks, and although I went over by two days on this one, I still want to aim for two paintings a month. The thing that excited me most about the image from which I painted this was the way the tops of the buses almost disappear into the grey sky. I am going to get going on the second painting soon, and may post some process pictures for that one.

The Transit Project

For as long as I can remember, buses and transit vehicles have held a special interest for me. I am curious about the journeys people past and present have taken on buses, from daily commutes to cross country trips. Almost everyone I know has some kind of transit story that they can share. Buses are workhorses that people rely on without giving much consideration to. At the end of the day, they have carried hundreds of passengers many miles.

Empty and retired buses capture my imagination because they have so many stories to tell as they lean over on their tires in their resting places. This year I have made a commitment to document in paint some old and retired buses that have moved people in British Columbia. In particular I am going to paint portraits of the Brill trolley buses that served Vancouver until the 1980's.

I am currently working on the first painting in this series of 48 x 36 inch acrylic paintings. My goal is to complete one painting in the series every two weeks.

For a bit of background on my art, I am going to post some previous work on here, but the main goal of this blog is to document new work.