Chicago Snow

I loved painting this scene—it was at night, during a big snow storm in Chicago. The snow covered paths had almost no tracks yet. The city felt so still and vibrant—I don’t remember seeing many cars or people out. The city lights reflected off the snow and made everything glow. Even at night, I could see clearly, like on a cloudy afternoon. I went for a run and had to stop myself in my tracks so many times because there were so many beautiful scenes that I wanted to take in. I painted “Chicago Snow” from a photo I took just north of Lincoln Park Zoo, at Fullerton and Stockton. The snowflakes glowed yellow and orange as they fell in front of the street lights. When I painted this scene I was instantly transported back to that snowy night run. I felt like I was back with my shoes in the snow, heart pumping from running, and just standing in the middle of the path, smiling so big because I just felt in awe of where I was. I remember feeling the excitement of seeing new colors that only show up on a snowy night, and I also remember the city feeling so calm. When I painted this scene, I wanted it to feel like you were there in the middle of that snowy path. I wanted to paint the movement of the falling snow, the light breeze, and the warm glowing colors. I wanted to paint how beautiful the city looked and felt, and how inviting the snowy path felt to run down. I think when you have an intimate connection with a place, even if it’s just for a few seconds of being present, you can find that feeling or memory again. It’s something that sticks with me, even years later, and when I looked at this photo to paint, I was reminded of how this place made me feel.