CONVERGENCE
Medium: Oil on linen
Size: 72″ x 72″ (183 cm x 183 cm)
Client: Equity Group Investments
Year: 2009
When the ownership of Two North Riverside Plaza decided to remodel their lobby in 2009, I received a call from eSAM l.l.c. asking if I would be interested in a painting commission for the entrance area. They were very specific regarding the look they wanted to achieve and I gladly accepted the challenge and opportunity to produce a painting that would pay homage to the architectural significance of Two North Riverside Plaza.
What were they looking for? Well, the concept for the painting evolved in phases, adding and subtracting components until we arrived at the finished composition posted above. First and foremost, they really wanted the building to be the hero and focal point of the painting. Since the building is an awesome example of 1930′s Art Deco architecture, we decided that the painting should also be done in that same style. Once the style was decided, I had to figure out what elements should be in the painting to complete or tell its story.
Two North Riverside Plaza was constructed in 1929. Its grand presence overlooks the Chicago River and it is also connected to Union Station. This is what I had in mind when I started to fill out the composition and tell the story: The building overlooking the Chicago River with a train to denote Union Station. Through a number of sketches, I balanced the train with one of the bridges that surrounds the building, added boats to give the river life, a plane for growth, the Chicago skyline for heroic depth, and people to illustrate the human dynamic.
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MY PROCESS
When I first began sketching my ideas for the piece, I started with pencils. I quickly moved to the computer because it was quicker to draw the lines, angles and circles that make up the composition. As illustrated in the above pictures, I selected photos of the building that I liked and traced over them. Once I had my outline of the building, it was much easier to position it into a composition.
Early vector studies of 2 North Riverside Plaza
In the early stages of rendering the composition, the plan was for the piece to be more vertical than the final square size. In fact, the composition didn’t become square until after the lobby design was decided, and it was at that point that I made the adjustments.
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REFERENCE & INSPIRATION
These were my “go to” posters for reference and inspiration.
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ART DECO ELEMENTS
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FINAL LINE COMPOSITION
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THE ACTUAL PAINTING
THE LOBBY
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THE INSTALLATION +_——>> Check out the video installation of Convergence.
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AMAZING!!
Hey David, Steve here – again, THIS is VERY cool – thanks for putting it up. A couple of comments:
1) Metropolis is one of my favorite movies – no wonder I like this painting
2) I notice you say that the Equity Office Building connects to “Union Station”… having taken this route for many years, I thought it actually connects to “Ogilvie Transportation Center” formerly known as “Chicago Northwestern (CNW) Station”. Union Station is across the street and is actually cooler since it is still the original old building from the 20’s, but I didn’t think it was connected to EOP.
PS. The install vid is great too.
This is very cool. Well done on the formatting. As well, I made you admin on all notifications. I’ll no longer get them. EX: when someone posts a comment.
Thanks for sharing your process. The painting is fabulous, but seeing how it was made is interesting too. It was good to meet you last weekend.