The Pier

The Pier
Acrylic on Raymar canvas panel
8"x10" © Chris Breier

Painters often exclude distracting elements from paintings and in this case I left out the teenagers that were jumping their bikes into the lake. It was a creative yet dangerous way for them to cool off on a hot evening. They had set up a ramp at the end of the pier so they launch themselves into the water and try learning new flips and tricks. If a trick was unsuccessful they had to push the bike away so it wouldn't land on their heads. I, on the other hand, was eating popcorn while sitting on a park bench.

I considered including them in the painting but I realized the figures would be too small to be recognizable. What inspired me to paint this scene was the way the tree was lined up against the sunset. I realized I could paint the tree in silhouette so that it would become a strong graphic shape and create a nice contrast against the sunset. The original painting is available.