“Washington Street in Saint Paul”
Oil on Canvas - 2006

This oil on canvas painting, completed in December 2006, features a winter morning scene along Washington Street looking towards the heart of downtown. On the right is Saint Paul Central Library completed in 1917. Beyond the library is Rice Park, one of the great urban parks in America. It was created when designated a “Public Square” on a city plat filed in 1849 by Henry M. Rice & John R. Irvine. Rising beyond the park is Landmark Center. Completed in 1901, it was formerly known as the Federal Courts Building. Behind Landmark Center is the Wells Fargo Center. To the left in the painting, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. And behind the theater, the morning sun is reflecting off the St. Paul Travelers insurance building. An architectural review writer and admirer of Saint Paul, who both lived and worked in the other “Twin City” of Minneapolis, once wrote something to this effect; there is a sense that the past still exists here. This was a compliment the artist believes perfectly captures the essence of his hometown.