Penciling In The Evening Star Café

I spent two hours on this one this morning, diligently plotting points and drawing lines. Cannot wait to get to the actual painting! This little café, on the corner of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Howell Avenue in the Del Ray section of Alexandria, serves up terrific American style food in a cozy atmosphere. I fell in love with the front of the building years ago, and wanted to include it in the "Saturday Night Series," which will feature shops and art galleries and eateries across the country.

Evening Star Café, work in progress, © 2017

Here's one of the reference photos:

I love this building. I love the way it's lit at night. I love the contrast of the bright yellow against the muted turquoise-y blue and the bold red letters. And the warmth of the inside. The only problem is that I took this photo after the end of the second "Meet The Artists Night" at Artomatic, and by the time we got there, most of the customers had gone home! So there is a sad lack of convivial diners in the windows. But look at that light!