Observations

I've been painting in the window at Howland-Hughes since the beginning of July, and it's really a great experience. On one level, it's great because it gives me a good-size space in which to work on a large canvas, and because it forces me to paint at least one day a week.

Photo by John Murray of The Waterbury Observer

On a different level, it's great because of the interactions with the public. Children are the ones most likely to notice and take time to look at what's going on in the window. Adults in business suits are the ones least likely to notice or care (they are usually looking at the ground, at their cell phones, or at one another).



One day, a group of four people stopped to look at my paintings and had a very animated discussion about the painting of the clock on the Green. They were trying to decide if any of them were depicted in the painting, or if maybe they knew one of the people in the painting. The final decision was that the guy they were thinking of never wears a ball cap, so that can't be him.

There have been a few times when people have walked by and assumed I was a mannequin--until they saw me move. Usually it's younger men, teenagers, who express great surprise and astonishment. My favorite moment was when two teenagers, drinking iced coffees from Dunkin Donuts, walked past, then came back, stared at me through the window with an expression on their faces of curiosity and doubt (wondering if I was a mannequin), and then burst out laughing with surprise when I turned to look at them.

Many of the people who stop to look at what I'm doing will give me a big thumbs up and enthusiastic smile. A few people shout through the window, asking if I did all these paintings, then say "wow" when I nod my head yes.

The latest photo of my Fulton Park painting.
For the full series of progress images, visit my Facebook album.

One of the best parts has been learning that people check in on my progress regularly. I've been told that several people have looked at the painting I'm working on and wondered when I added the bridge and people in the distance. That section was finished over a year ago. It's rewarding for me to know that it takes some time for people to notice it. I was worried that the painting was too simple, that it needed more people, more activity in the background.

A couple of weeks ago, I arrived to find a message left for me on the window. Makes me wish I could set up a way for people to post messages about the paintings during the week. It would have to be monitored to avoid anything offensive being shared with the general public, and it's a little tricky to set up outdoors, but it could be really fun for everyone. Something to think about.