While wandering the historic district of Santo Domingo 12 years ago, my partner Michele and I came across a charming alleyway called Callejón de los Curas — Passageway of the Priests. Pink bougainvillea blossoms cover the wrought iron gate at the far end of the alley. A black iron work streetlight tips precariously. The passageway leads on to a small plaza on the south side of the cathedral.
In this piece, I wanted to capture the contrast between sun and shade (I suspect that the priests who traversed this alley appreciated some relief from the tropical sun). I’m using a technique here where I apply colors in short strokes. At close range, the composition feels very abstract — I had to continually back away from the easel to let my eye coalesce the image back to coherence.
Inspiration: Callejón de los Curas, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
