In the series of paintings entitled Night Walks, I explore my neighbourhood surroundings after dark. The challenge with this series was to create paintings that captured the qualities of mystery and drama that I associate with walking the darkened streets. By day, modern subdivisions are less than impressive in this respect; but by night, boulevards and streets are transformed into dramatic illuminated stages upon which even the most mundane of elements may project a profound and poetic quality.

Juniper Eclipse was derived from a series of photographs taken on a particularly foggy night. The atmospheric effects of fog mimic the smoke-laden air of a stage beneath spotlights. Values become more homogeneous as shadows are heightened and bright street lights are muted by thick veils of moisture. Many details in the source image of this painting were obscured naturally, and some remaining elements were edited out during the painting process. The distant brake lights of a passing car add a colour accent that relieves the monotony of the dominant amber tones.

In Lamp-lit Autumn Street, I illustrate a similar effect as a foggy suburban scene is shrouded by a canopy of fall foliage. Again, a car provides a small point of visual interest to subtly interrupt the uniformity of the composition. I employed an impressionistic technique of using optical mixtures of pure dabs of colour to recreate the street light effect. The juxtaposition of cool pastel tones with warmer ones, as a means of reconstructing light, is a technique that can also be seen in Boulevard Penumbra.

I experimented with a ‘motion blur’ effect applied to areas of the background of a few of the paintings. Artistically, it was an attempt to conceal or obscure extraneous details that I felt detracted from the intended mood of the series. This dynamic technique isolates the foreground elements by providing a foil for the more static and readable mode of representation. The sensation of movement is strong in Twilight Momentum as the stationary focal point - a linden tree - is set off against a lively but indiscernible backdrop. Similarly, Urban Garden features a stone retaining wall framed beneath indistinct, blurred streaks that are reminiscent of action photography. The vertical hazy motion that appears in Church Portal establishes a contrast between the the warm and subtly ethereal doorway above the colder, snow-trodden stairs.

While I do rely on photography, my direct observation forces me to make corrections to what I regard as the limitations of the camera. As the eyes adapt to the night, subtleties of value and colour are often evident in extremely dark areas. However, with night photography, the tendency for the camera to push these darks towards black – as well as bright highlights towards white – must be addressed. Computer manipulation of my crude point-and-shoot photos allows me to compensate for these shortcomings in order to create usable reference material. Memory as well as notes made from first-hand visual experience, outdoors at night, are also essential.