Rock Island Engine
Many people have asked if I have done this particular train engine, as they have special ties with it. more »
Many people have asked if I have done this particular train engine, as they have special ties with it. more »
This painting is a continuation of my abstract train engines. I have been drawing and painting engines since 2010 and find inspiration in the geometric shapes and colors. This particular composition zeroes in on a couple wheels. more »
The fascination with these train engines continues! I used one of my photos from our Burlington, Iowa trip. Every engine is different, and with collage it's easy to manipulate the shapes and develop a pleasing design. more »
This painting is a continuation of the train designs I began in 2010. I am fascinated by the interlocking engine shapes and various details. This composition is an extreme close-up. more »
This painting is part of my abstract engine designs that I have been working on since April of this year. The composition possibilities are interesting and seem endless when you take a closer view of your subject. This close-up includes the yellow Union Pacific engine with windows, stripes and numerals. more »
This abstract train engine varies a bit from the pieces I have completed so far. This collage is actually the first design. I did not use a sketch, but rather used a close-up section and began by cutting out shapes and arranging them on the gessoed hardboard. It is a section of the brake and wheel, and I just improvised until the design looked good to me. more »
This design is a continuation of my close-up train engine series. I have painted engines and trains in a variety of mediums. The textures and geometric shapes interest me and also the local color. more »
Trains are one of my favorite subject matter to paint and I have found working on this series exciting. This particular design features a boxcar in black, orange, sienna, tan, and gray. more »
Marybeth Heikes recently received an Honors Award in the annual Midwest National Abstract Exhibition in Indianapolis. She received a cash/ribbon award for her watercolor painting, Engine Series #5, part of her series of train engines. The juror, Paige Williams, commented on the piece: “The lushness of contrasting color and variation of edges creates a compelling push/pull spatial quality. […] more »
I’m really getting into the abstract patterns of locomotives. In this design, I zeroed in on the rectangular or square shapes with the circular, ovoid shadow patterns. They struck me as I was taking the photos on a bright, sunny morning. Many different warm and cool reds were used in this composition. The dark pieces […] more »