The Red Railroad Lantern holds a special place in my series, marking a return to painting on canvas after more than twenty years. Its bold red body, red glass fixture, and large chrome loop handle immediately caught my attention, along with the clever design that allows the body to be repositioned for direct or indirect lighting. The protective cage surrounding the glass also lets the lantern rest on the ground, another thoughtful detail that speaks to its practical railroad origins.
Painting this lantern reminded me how much I’d missed the tactile sensation of a brush moving across canvas and the surface pushing back with every stroke.
Returning to traditional painting after years of working digitally brought unexpected challenges, proving that those skills don’t always transfer as easily as imagined. But rediscovering the physical process, while exploring an object whose illumination and ingenuity fascinated me, made this painting a meaningful beginning to the series.
