Waiting At Starbucks

We were sitting at a table near the line of people waiting to place their order at a Starbucks coffee shop. Service was slow. Perhaps everyone wanted a complex order.

But this row of mostly young people found waiting as an opportunity to socialize.

As sat there, I became fascinated by their shoes. I pulled out my digital camera and with my hand close to the floor I took a series of photographs from which this 18 x 48 inch oil painting was developed.

I added the napkin on the floor (which has the imprint from someone's lipstick) to bring interest to the foreground. The painting is a study of imagined human interactions. The body language from the legs, leaves much to the imagination.

New Group Painting - Encounter/Yellow Umbrella

A couple meet on a cold rainy day to talk briefly under a yellow umbrella. From the bright colored bag dangling from her hand, it appears she has been shopping in a nearby store. He carries a portfolio and a small bag over his shoulder. Perhaps he is on his way to a business meeting.

This painting is loosely based upon various photographs I took in Paris, France, last Spring (2008). I wanted the image to induce the feeling of a connection between the two figures. Yet it is only a brief encounter, since each has their own agenda. The yellow umbrella links the two together for these few moments.

I am trying to play down the individuality of the figures. I want the viewer to identify the people from their own imagination. The male figure's face is hidden. The female's face is only sketchy - enough to see she is please with the chance encounter.

The composition has been chosen to use a wide range of values, from the dark coats of the figures to the white of the distant light on this rainy day.

30 x 24 inches. Oil on canvas. Unframed with painted edges.