Perpetual Sunrise

Elliot Gamache

Acrylic on Canvas

This is an abstract painting based off of a photo in Times Square that was taken while I was in New York City as part of the music program; a trip that we went on at the very beginning of this project. Two other students also made their paintings off the same photo. I find it really intriguing how each of us interpreted it completely differently! I chose to use the reds from the jackets we wore and the stairs we posed on, and the orange from the billboard behind us as my main colours. Straight lines show the transition from the horizontal pattern of the stairs to the vertical buildings that frame the photo. In the middle, pinkish dots represent all of the people in the photo. Other than that, I tried to paint what my memories in New York felt like, as opposed to taking a more representative approach. This is why I used warm colours, to show the delight of being on a trip with so many of my good friends. I named it Perpetual Sunrise as a play on the city that never sleeps— which is, of course, New York—but with much more relation to the painting itself. I found myself having a lot of fun with this painting, which started to look better as each layer was added. See if you can try to find the handprint that I’ve hidden!