Engine Shed

Engine Shed,  8 x 11 inch ink and watercolor by George C. Clark   AVAILABLE

At the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, they keep engines and rolling stock that have been restored or are candidates for restoration in very large metal sheds to protect them from the weather.  Visitors can see them from walkways between the rails.  The sheds are lit by skylights and electric lights, but they are still pretty dark.  As a railfan I enjoy seeing these indoor collections and am glad they are being preserved, but as an artist I usually find the indoor displays a little too dark and claustrophobic to paint.  However, one day I found this Tuskegee Railroad locomotive silhouetted against the open shed doors because the locomotive normally parked behind it was out giving rides.  I made an ink drawing in my sketchbook and took some photos too.  Later I printed the drawing on archival watercolor paper and added the color.