Waiting for the Call

A generally unseen view within a station, firefighters’ gear is hung in a careful, orderly fashion – from bottom of rack up, boots to hats – so that they can quickly dress at an alarm and clamber aboard the waiting engine.

The patterns and forms of black helmets,jackets and suspenders, with their iridescent striping, set in the utility of the station structure,was mostly a value study of blacks and grays, punctuated by the typical red of the engine and flag’s stripes, and the dull orange color of the walls.

There is also a contrast of horizontal and vertical elements between the engine and the rack of gear which play well off each other in the composition. The circular forms of the clock, engine horns, and the number two also help diagonally balance the view. The plein air piece was executed on a hot press paper allowing for the shining effect on the engine and helmets. The original was painted during a two artist event week, now on view at the Artist Framer Gallery in Cranford, NJ, and is available.