This is the landscape painting I just finished this morning. A few weeks ago I got up early in the morning, before the rest of the family was awake, and hiked downtown to an old rail yard in the heart of Fort Bragg. The rail yard is still in use by the Skunk Train, a local tourist ride that takes daily excursions into the redwood forest.
As I was painting I imagined what it must have been like in the glory days of the Mill. As train after train kept a constant stream of redwood logs flowing in to be cut apart and formed into lumber. What a dramatic contrast to the overgrown and peacefully still scene I had before me.
For the painting I wanted to push the color a bit to emphasize the warm morning light cascading over this once bustling rail yard. I loved the contrast between the cool blues and purples in the shadows and the warm dried grass and rusty metal.
The painting measures 24"x36". Oil on canvas.
