Ugly-Pretty

The ugliest subjects can make for interesting paintings. Although I like to paint lovely scenes that I find moving, occasionally I find subjects that are begging to be painted, pretty or not. I run by the harbor area every so often and have watched the dredge in various light. I find the shapes, colors and textures interesting. So I picked a sunny afternoon, ignored the call of the typically beauteous scenes in and around the harbor and decided to paint the dredge.
There was a artistic movement in the early 20th century called the Ashcan School  that portrayed daily life in New York. This movement popularized everyday scenes as motifs. I suppose my Dredge would fall into that category. Probably the best know painter of this tradition is Edward Hopper, he himself may argue his inclusion with this group. He was not officially a member of the Ashcan School, but was a student of one of it's eight members, Robert Henri.
I enjoy this genre. It's exciting to find the beauty in light, no matter where I find it.

The Dredge, 11 x 14, oil on panel