Buffalo Theatre District in Autumn

Buffalo Theatre District in Autumn
Acrylic on gessobord
10" x 8"
Chris Breier © 2017

Last fall I had an afternoon off from work and I spent the day walking around downtown Buffalo looking for subject matter to paint. I turned the day into a photo expedition, it's generally easier to paint city scenes in the studio. It would be impossible to set up my easel in the middle of the street to capture this perspective. The warm colors from the foliage add some much needed warm contrasts to the cool shadows created by the buildings.

Splash 18: The best of Watercolor

"Buffalo Savings Bank" can be found on
page 87 of Splash 18: The Best of Watercolor.

I am excited to announce that my watercolor painting "Buffalo Savings Bank" has been selected to be included in Splash 18: The Best of Watercolor.  My painting is on page 87 and you can read the caption below. The book will be released on July 21, 2017.

Shea's (SOLD)

Shea's
Watercolor on paper
12"x18"
Chris Breier © 2016

The Shea's Performing Art Center is located in in downtown Buffalo. I spent an afternoon walking around the theatre  district looking for subject matter for my paintings. I took a number of photographs of this vantage point of Shea's but I realized that it needed something.

I took a few more pictures, trying different composistions but nothing worked. Then I spotted the metro rail in the distance and it happened to be red! I waited until it was in the perfect position and took a few pictures. The metro rail added a much needed focal point and the red created a nice contrast to the overall blue tone of the painting.

Main & Cayuga

Main & Cayuga

Gouache on paper

5”x7"

Chris Breier © 2016

The original painting is for sale. I was walking home from the local farmers market when I took the reference photo for this painting. It was hot and I was carrying a backpack filled with sweet corn, tomatoes, and blueberries. What I wouldn’t do now for fresh tomatoes and sweet corn, I have to wait another 5-6 months!

This painting was done entirely with gouache which is opaque watercolor. I normally use it small amounts to add highlights to a watercolor. It’s water based and opaque like acrylic but it’s easier to achieve gradients and subtle blending effects with it. Maybe I should do more of these. What do you think? 

Gold Dome

Gold Dome

Acrylic on paper

4”x6”

Chris Breier © 2016

The original painting is for sale. This is a painting of Main Street, Buffalo. The building with the gold dome on the left is the Buffalo Savings Bank. The silouhette of the Liberty building can be seen on the right. I used mostly heavy body acrylic for this painting.

Main Street Williamsville (SOLD)

"Main Street Williamsville at dusk"
Acrylic on paper, 3.5"x2.5"
©cbreier 2013

I normally don't paint street scenes but dusk has a way of dramatizing everyday scenes through light and color.

The darks of the trees were painted first, then I defined the shapes of the leaves by painting the negative sky shapes around it with opaque paint. Some of the more brilliant colors were applied as transparent glazes.

Many artists complain that acrylics dry too quickly but I find quick drying times allow me to add many layers of color in a short amount of time.

You may be interested in viewing more of my Artist Trading Cards