Cities are a cornucopia of languages, but they also speak a language of their own. One rainy evening stuck in traffic in Raleigh, NC, I saw fragments of color exploding like fireworks through a single droplet of rain. I watched as the sharp, familiar lines of the city melted into a waterfall of glimmering pigments in between passes of the wiper blades. In that moment I felt the city whispering to my heart, and an idea was born…

“If color were a language, I would speak it best.”

Since childhood I have always struggled to focus. Growing up in a household where English was a second language made it even more difficult to express myself with words. But color came easily. My eyes and my mind have always been drawn to it, captivated by it. I’ve even fallen off my bike while my eyes were chasing a rainbow. And I still have the scars to prove it!

To that end, I’ve been studying color my whole life, both consciously and unconsciously. Over the last several years, I’ve collected thousands of photos of the places I’ve been and the moments that have inspired me most. Each city truly has a language and a color of its own.

City Lights Through Raindrops is a celebration of color. It is an homage to the sunsets over Key West. A hat tip to the kaleidoscope that is New Orleans. It is a tribute to the glow of the harbor in San Diego at night. It is a salute to the golden hills of San Francisco. It is a collection inspired by that moment in the car, but painted in honor of the beautiful, dazzling places we all call home.

Cheers and Enjoy!

Shalimar

More info: Facebook

“Raleigh Through a Rainy Windshield.” The heart of the collection, a large 4ftx4ft heavy oil on canvas

“LA Rush Hour.” 6ftx4ft heavy oil on canvas

“Light Rain on Marco Island.” 4ftx4fxt acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“Durham Traffic Jam.” 12inx36in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“Carolina Blue Magic.” 24inx36in heavy oil on canvas

“Savannah Fields.” 40inx16in acrylic and oil on stretched canvas

“Snorkeling in Key West Waters.” 24inx48in heavy oil on canvas

“Portland Rainstorm.” 24inx18in heavy oil on canvas

“Sonoran Sunset.” 48inx12in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“Wilmington Waters.” 36inx36in heavy oil on canvas

“Chicago Street Lights.” 20inx24in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“Kansas City Storm.” 36inx36in heavy oil on canvas

“Red Hat Amphitheater Through Raindrops.” 30inx40in heavy oil on canvas

“Sailing off Virginia Beach.” 40inx30in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“Maui Rays of Sunshine.” 30inx15in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“Sounds of Berkeley.” 36inx12in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“San Diego Harbor.” 36inx24in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

20inx24in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

“New York Storm.” 12inx36in acrylic and heavy oil on canvas

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