My inspiration for this painting was the building shapes, the window reflections and the local shopping district of Valley Junction. There were so many details I loved about it — the window mannequins, the signage, lampposts, shadows, and the upstairs windows. It was a complicated design and a challenge to paint. I have always loved painting cityscapes because of their individuality.

I used my reference photo and drew the design in pencil, as that is the underlying structure for my paintings. Most of the details are painted a bit loosely and edited. I wanted to capture the bright sunshine and the shadow shapes. The local colors and values describe the building shapes, a geometric configuration that is interlocking and works together as one big shape.

The other interesting element is the blue sky shape. I combined a variety of warm blues: cerulean, verditer and cobalt blue. It is a big, calming square of color contrasting with the warm sienna tones of the buildings. The vertical lampposts add dark values and break up the geometric shapes of the buildings. The white shapes connect and lead the eye around the painting. The mannequins are similar to the human element, enticing shoppers to come in and shop.