Missing a Friend Print

Painting Size: 8" x 10" x 0.1" Frame Dimensions: 9.5" x 11.5" x 1.875" Missing a Friend is an original (1 of 1) oil painting on canvas board. The piece is framed in a smooth black floater frame with hanging wire installed on the back, so the painting is ready to hang. The composition looks great on a white wall or just about any earth toned neutral wall. The painting is signed and coated with a UV protective low gloss satin varnish. I painted this piece in 2019, but the reference photo was taken several years earlier in Hyde Park, located in downtown Sydney, Australia. I always knew I wanted to paint this scene because of the way the park bench was framed by the huge tree trunk in the background. The interest is intensified by the dramatic sun-shadow contrasts on and around the tree. Apart from the visual aesthetics, what strikes me about this scene is the empty park bench and the way it almost glows in the morning sun. It appears so inviting, but it's emptiness suggests a profound absence. I call the painting Missing a Friend, because I picture this bench as a place where friends have met many times to visit and share stories. On this day the bench is empty and quiet and loneliness dominate.