This art snippet is part of a series that spotlights the work of an accomplished artist featured in PleinAir magazine.
“Dubuque Lanes” by John Paul Marcelo
“I very rarely ever paint plein air night scenes,” says John Paul Marcelo. “I was participating in Bluff Strokes 2023 (the Dubuque, IA plein air event), and one of the categories was nocturnes. I just started carrying around an attachable and rechargeable light while traveling and figured to give it a go. I wasn’t anticipating this location either, but I found a bowling alley in the middle of the country; quite nostalgic Americana.
“There are so many memories that were conjured up from my own midwestern childhood and early high school years. I didn’t bowl much; I spent more time in the arcade and eventually evolved into a young pool shark in the next room over: Zeppelin on the juke box, picking up the nasty habit of heavy smoking (glad I quit 10 years later) …
“Regarding my inspiration for the painting: The variety of lights! Fluorescent. Incandescent. Neon. This is a whole different observation. The possibilities are endless.”
Connect with the artist at jpmarcelo.com.
Published bi-monthly, PleinAir magazine is focused on landscape paintings by historical and contemporary artists, art collections, events, and the process of creating plein air paintings. Beautifully designed with rich reproductions on high-quality paper, PleinAir features the top artists and artworks from around the world. Start your subscription here.
Story prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today
