Paintings of Cities - On the Road - by Matthew Holden Bates

When I go on vacation, or on the road to do a show, I like to immortalize the experience by doing a painting of the city that I visited. This first painting is of NYC, a place that I have spent a lot of time, especially when I was growing up. My dad is from Long Island and he went to school in the city, I loved it when we would road trip it to visit his friends. New York entered into me and I felt the need to do a New York Painting, and here it is.

My mom is from New England, and if you have been following my posts here on Steemit, I am sure that this is a painting that you have seen. I guess Boston has been like NYC, as much as it can be, a city that has always been a part of my life. I am even going there this week for family time, all the way from my beloved Firenze.

Paris is usually grey, and that means that the Parisians spend a lot of time and money of brightening it up. I think that Paris is one of the most beautiful cities I have been to mostly because of their attention to the little things, a small garden like this one can make a huge difference in the experience of walking down the street. Even if this painting is a bit fanciful, not strictly photographic since I really just made up this composition, it captures all of the beauty and pathos of my memory of Paris.

Back in Italy, much like the other paintings, this is one that I always wanted to make. Venezia is so iconic, so unbelievable, like a magic city floating on the sea. This painting, which was made with acrylics is a bit different, I usually paint in oils. It was still fun to make.

This painting is in the same series as the Venezia Painting, is was trying out acrylics, a bit of a departure for me. I didn’t spend much time in Vienna, but it was amazingly beautiful. This is just a small detail, in a city of details. I love cities that respect art and embellish their buildings with sculpture much like the next painting which I made after visiting Prague.

Prague was also just a quick trip, but what a place! So many buildings with angels in the architecture, i took so many photos, eventually I found this gem of a subject along the river.

The last painting in this post is dedicated to Cannes, a jewel on the French Riviera. If you look closely you can see the Carlton Hotel. I spent this vacation with my family, just another romp for the Bates’ 😎

My main muse has been Firenze, most of my cityscapes are of my home, but every so often I like to paint where I have visited, just to help me remember the good times. Paintings are like memories, when I look at any one of these paintings they remind me of where I have been, what I was doing and who I was with. Life tends to travel fast, and even when we stop to think about it, we can be a little hazy about the details. That is why I make these paintings, also to paint something new. I think in one os my next posts I will focus on the landscapes, when I went out in nature, away from the hustle of the city.

If you like my artwork feel free to follow me on Steemit @matteopaints , I try to post a new article at least once a week. Resteems and upvotes are always appreciated. And for the curators out there, thank you again for all of your support!!!!!!!

My official site: http://www.mattbates.net

Prints of my art: https://www.curioos.com/mattbates