Polk County Courthouse, Des Moines

This design was inspired by the architecture of the big city, reminiscent of growing up in the environment surrounded by tall buildings, different windows shapes, rooftops, bricks and other building details. It is exciting to have so many varieties of architectural elements crammed into a large metropolis; such a contrast from the quiet country life I live now. The hustle and bustle of people working in the city among the skyscrapers and boxy shapes fascinate me.

I'm attracted by the different shapes and have no general plan on colors before I start. During the thinking process I'm concerned on the relationships of warm and cool colors and the way they vibrate against each other. In this painting I began with the dark pinkish building and greenish windows. I started this last August and put it aside for a few months because I wasn't sure how to proceed with the courthouse shape, because it was so detailed. I wasn't even sure if it was something to continue with and finish. After these months slipped by, I took it out and looked at it with a sample mat and glass and decided it looked terrific and chose the beige colors for the light bricked courthouse and that I would simplify the shapes -- that is one of the things that working in collage offers: not getting hung up on details; suggesting them.

I worked from a photo taken in 2002 from the top of a parking ramp in the downtown area. This view commanded a large area and I condensed it a bit and zeroed in on one view.