This painting was created during the Fairfield, Illinois PaintOut and was a personal challenge for me: I wanted to create my first successful nocturne.
After painting from sunrise through the day, I was exhausted but still wanted to try. I drove around Fairfield looking for the right subject and found this beautiful brick home with a green tile roof and a grand white entrance.
I knocked on the door and asked the owners if they would mind if I painted their home. They graciously agreed and even turned on the lights for me.
As the evening settled in, the house began to glow against the darkness. It was exactly the kind of scene I had been hoping to find.
Painting at night presented its own challenges. I worked with a small light to see my canvas, while trying to judge colors and values in the darkness. At one point, a local farmer stopped to see what I was doing and, looking at my mostly unfinished canvas, commented that it didn't look anything like what we were looking at.
He wasn't wrong. 😂
At that point, the painting was still in its very early stages — mostly lines, marks, and rough shapes. But his comment became a challenge. I kept working until nearly midnight, determined to make the painting resemble the glowing scene in front of me.
The next morning, I finally saw the finished painting in daylight. After framing it, I had to smile. I think I accomplished what I set out to do.
This painting is especially meaningful to me because it represents my first successful nocturne — and the satisfaction of pushing through an unfamiliar challenge.
Original walnut oil painting
8" × 10" on canvas panel
Framing options are available. Please contact me if you would like to discuss the framing.
This painting is available for local pickup in the St. Louis area. Shipping is also available; the painting will be carefully packaged and shipped with tracking.
Please reach out with any questions.