An Artist's Journal:Paintings by Felicia Marshall

5"x7" acrylic on hardboard I married into a family that loves their trains, most of the males in the family have their own train board. Ours happens to be taking up half of our garage. Our kids love going out and running the layout that they created with their dad, but he tends to avoid his creation (did I mention the garage was not heated or air conditioned?) Usually several times a year they manage to pump up their dad long enough to add another few buildings or train engines , usual just before his dad comes to visit so he can show off what he's done. My daughter loves to take the miniature cows and horses from the fields her dad has strategically placed. I can't help but laugh every time he finds them discarded somewhere in the house. Long story short, trains are a passion for the men in my family. I have just discovered that my own father has a special place in his heart for them as well. His father worked on one which should have been no surprise to...

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite This image was taken while on vacation last year. We passed by the little train depot several times throughout our trip and on the final day we stopped just long enough to take a couple of photographs. I was drawn to the simple little museum like wooden structure that someone has seen the importance of keeping up even if not the relics scattered around the yard circling the building. Though I have never ridden on a train myself I do share an appreciation for them and their dying form of transportation. After initially completing this painting I looked at it and was not pleased. It felt stagnant , boring and I even questioned what the purpose of painting it was anyway. I sat it aside but kept it close for several days before I put it back on my easel and added some brush strokes. This really gave the painting the energy that it lacked. I am pleased.