I took a photo of a street of houses, a car, and a person walking along with an umbrella from an overhead viewpoint, back in January 2020. I used it as a reference for this painting, which I did during the mixed media class I taught in Winter 2020.
The class was working on individual projects and I did not want to be forcing my attention on them without respite, so I gave myself a project to work on, too.
The painting is called “Light Rain”. Acrylics, 20″ x 16″, March 2020.
Claudia McGill and Her Art World 
Looks cozy and lonely, with houses crouched together and neon undercurrent behind figures. Like those days.
Thank you. Unlike lots of people, I like rain and rainy days, for the reasons you see in this painting and that you said. There is a feel to this kind of weather that is just what you said, cozy, and lonely (though I tend to think solitary, and I like being alone, so I have a positive feeling about it). And I really like umbrellas. No reason why, just always have liked the look of them, and using one.
As with much of your work, theres a story here. (K)
Thank you. I almost always have a visual source that starts me off, but what keeps me going and figuring out how to paint what, it is the story that seems to come from the image as I go along. It has always been that way, even small things seem to develop story, or things that are not even live, I give them one. I’ve always thought pretty much everything has some kind of spirit to it, and as for art, well, it makes itself known, I just move the pen or paintbrush!
I think that’s true about your work–sometimes I see it with mine. And sometimes it’s only later that the story emerges, or maybe it changes with the years.
The interesting thing about a visual image, it can mean different things to different people, or as you say, change over the years. Which is really something, if you think about it, the ability to morph and evolve.
I really like the unusual perspective of this cityscape and the way the really bright colours suggest the way that light and colour play on rainy surfaces on gloomy days.
Thank you. The real day was mostly gray with splashes of color that really stood out. And that is what I hoped to capture in this picture. I like rainy days, anyway, too, so I enjoyed depicting one.
Beautiful!