Nocturne in Blue Our Lady Star of the Sea Cape May NJ Painting

Just before dawn, if you ate out on a wet morning, you can see the world with a drama and intensity that are missing in broad daylight. The church looming out of the darkness contrasted with the prosaic parked cars symbolized the contrast between the mystical and the everyday world. This scene in Cape May reminded me of Whistler's Nocturnes, especially those of the Houses of Parliament. The pavement was wet and the dawn was dark and misty. He used to say he used his "special Sauce" to get the liquid night effect. I guessed that his "special sauce" is glaze made of linseed oil and ultramarine blue - which is what I used. I hope you feel the presence of the deeper meanings behind the ordinary world around us in this painting.