The City, The Cathedral – Oil on Canvas

This is the first painting in “The City” series. This local church towers over a rural neighborhood.

In recent years new development communities have sprung up all around this church (l’église Saint-Michel) which I have called a cathedral. This has increased the speed of life in the small Québec city and made it one of the fastest growing communities in the region. I was interested in this scene of young adults grouped together under the shadow of the church because it speaks to the purpose of my series. They seem to be unaware of the history embodied in the building standing behind them.

The historic building is the fifth member of the group and the reason for their gathering in that location. I will use the vertical lines of the people, trees and the sign post to draw the viewers eyes up to the steeple.  I will use oil paint to instill the feeling of a rich history into this modern scene.

You can see the addition of the shadow of the large church between these two individuals in the scene. The fifth member of the group (our history) is letting itself be heard. The shadow was left out of the sketch but the space was there to leave room for the church in the conversation.